The Wasp, 1918 · page 110 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 110: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a literary excerpt rather than a satirical cartoon page. The text is Chapter VII from what seems to be a serialized story published in *The Wasp* magazine, depicting a nighttime meeting between two characters—Stanton (an ensign) and James Burnham—in a tropical setting (likely Hawaii, given references to sugar-cane and bananas). Burnham, described as a fashionable dandy with "original ideas," poses a philosophical question about whether they should "live and let live" or dredge up past grievances. The passage emphasizes Burnham's cool composure and striking appearance—white linen, amber-glass cane, pipe—presenting him as an appealing but enigmatic figure. Without additional context or images showing the actual satirical content, the specific political or social satire *The Wasp* intended remains unclear. This reads as serialized fiction rather than commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VII STANTON arranged a secret meeting with James Burnham for that same night. They met on a white track above the town several hours after midnight, by the light of a belated and reduced moon and a million white stars. The long streamers of sugar-cane and bananas whispered around them in the cool sea breeze. Both men had been sitting late with roistering companions. The ensign showed it in his flushed face and slightly deranged costume; but he was sober. Burnham was cool, mentally and physically. He was all in white linen and silk, and looked a notable dandy of original ideas. He carried a long walking-cane of amber-coloured glass and smoked a long pipe. Under the whimsical half-lights of the stars and the old moon he cut an exceedingly romantic and attractive figure. “Ts it live and let live?” he asked quietly. “Or is it to remember and make an unseemly disturbance in this peaceful spot ?” IOI comicbooks.com