The Wasp, 1918 · page 114 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 114: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains prose narrative rather than a cartoon. It's an excerpt from a serialized story titled "The Wasp" featuring characters named James Burnham, Elizabeth Nash, and a young woman named Kitty. The passage depicts a flirtation scene: Burnham compliments a young woman as "the toast of the regiment," but when Elizabeth Nash (the governor's daughter) calls this woman "beautiful," Burnham pointedly disagrees—his meaningful glance suggesting he reserves that term for Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth responds with a brief moment of tenderness before turning away coyly. The text emphasizes character psychology and romantic tension rather than satire. Without additional context about the story's broader narrative or publication date, the specific satirical or social commentary point remains unclear from this passage alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 105 expressionless stare. He read fear, inquiry— yes, and a gleam of coquettish challenge in those blue eyes. Brief as the glance was, he was able to read all this because he knew the girl’s eyes of old. He turned to Elizabeth Nash and smiled. “That must be the young lady of whom I heard so much yesterday,” he said. ‘‘ A friend of one of the majors’ wives, I believe. She is the toast of the regiment, I hear. A pretty ~ little thing, don’t you think ? ” ** Oh, I should call her more than prety. _ replied the governor’s daughter. “I think she ~islovely ? I think she is beautiful ! ”’ “Lovely? Beautiful?” repeated Burnham consideringly. “No, my dear lady, I should not call her beautiful”? ; and he looked at his companion with a glance that said, as plainly _as words, that he knew to whom he would apply that term if he dared. : Elizabeth opened her eyes wide upon him in — tenderness, wonder, and allurement for a frac- tion of a second, then veiled them and turned her softly tinted face away from him. Her eyes were no brighter than Kitty’s; but they were more versatile, finer, deeper in meaning. James Burnham, being what he was, felt the comichooks.com