The Wasp, 1913 · page 99 of 364
The Wasp — 1913 — page 99: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be from a **serialized fiction story** rather than a political cartoon. It depicts a scene where an authority figure (apparently a chief magistrate) welcomes a young man named James Burnham into his household, providing him with twenty-five golden guineas as pocket money. The money represents Burnham's share of a fine levied against Amos Smith, master of the brig *Virtue*, for illegally imprisoning "a free subject of his majesty." The magistrate's warning that he'll "hang him like a pirate" if Smith offends again suggests this concerns **maritime law and the rights of free subjects**. Burnham's scheming thoughts at passage's end suggest the story involves him exploiting this fortunate situation—typical of 19th-century adventure fiction. Without seeing the full narrative context or publication date, the specific satirical target remains unclear, though it may reference colonial administration or nautical commerce disputes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
96 THE WASP stiff-necked pride. Pride of that kidney is a qual- ity I admire vastly. Look upon this house as your home for as long as you can put up with our quiet life, my boy. And I'll send a tailor to you within the hour. You'll need pocket money. Here is something that belongs to you.” He thrust a hand into a pocket and drew forth and counted out twenty-five golden guineas. “They are yours,” he continued. “They are your share of the fine which I, as chief magistrate and commander-in-chief of this island, laid upon Amos Smith, master-of the brig Virtue, for imprisoning the person of a free subject of his majesty. Also, I cautioned-him that if he ever came unfavorably to my notice again I would hang him like a pirate. The old fox got up his anchor an hour ago.” . James Burnham was glad of the twenty-five guineas. Schemes took shape slowly in his brain. They were vague at first, but as he recovered strength he recovered self-assurance. Surely some- thing was to be made, he reflected, of this very favorable situation in which chance had placed him. Comichooks.com