The Wasp, 1918 · page 199 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 199: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This appears to be a literary excerpt rather than a political cartoon—a serialized story about the Burnham family, likely from a 19th-century American publication. The text describes Alexander Burnham's conflicted feelings after his disreputable brother James participates in a duel with apparent honor and dignity, surprising Alexander who knew him as "a rascal at heart." The passage then depicts Alexander being waylaid by military adventurers who ply him with rum punch at a tropical resort (the setting appears to be the Caribbean island of Nevis) and inform him of news regarding his brother James. The satire or social commentary—if present—appears subtle here: possibly mocking the contradiction between James's notorious family disgrace and his sudden gentlemanly conduct, or the loose morality of "adventuring military gentlemen." However, **without seeing the actual cartoon artwork or knowing the broader serialized narrative context, the specific satirical point remains unclear.**
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
106° 9 THE se Mr. James Burnham as greatly as he despised | Mr. Stanton. Alexander, listening kena, and oe appre- hensive for the honour of the family, could find no fault with his brother’s behaviour in the duel. This puzzled him more than ever, though he was pleased. He knew James for a rascal. at heart and the sorest disgrace the family had — known in six generations; and yet the fellow — had come to Nevis, stripped of all his worldly gear, and had behaved like a Christian and-a gentleman. The rogue was clever beyond a doubt ; and Alexander was conscious of a throb of pride. Alexander Burnham went ashore i in the even- ing and called again on Captain - Nash. The — governor could talk of nothing but James—the lost James. He told the story of his caves She rescue again and again. On his way down to the water-front Alesnde: ran foul of a number of adventuring military gentlemen. They took him in hand in spite of his protests. They plied him with rum punches in a favourite resort of theirs, through the wide — windows of which the trade-wind always blows with a swishing of foliage and a hum of surf. They informed hin that his brother James was cemicbooks\com|