The Wasp, 1918 · page 209 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 209: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be **narrative fiction or serial storytelling** rather than a political cartoon. It's prose text describing a scene at a waterfront resort. The plot involves characters named Alexander Burnham, Mr. Stanton (recently recovered from a duel wound), and various naval figures including Captain Cross and Mr. Willis. Stanton is celebrating his "first day of freedom" from the authority of Mr. Willis and "Dr. Hamm" (likely Dr. Hammer, suggesting a medical supervisor). The satire seems aimed at **naval discipline and medical authority**—the phrase "irksome authority" suggests mockery of rigid shipboard hierarchy. The reference to Stanton's enforced abstinence from "wines and punches" ironically notes his improved health under constraint. Without seeing illustrations or knowing *The Wasp's* specific satirical targets, the broader context remains unclear, but this appears to mock naval bureaucracy and authority figures of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
200 THE WASP dome of dream had crashed back upon his heart at the first realization of his shameful position. Alexander’s watchfulness went unrewarded for several days ; and then, as luck would have it, he met Mr. Stanton. Although Stanton’s wound was now thoroughly healed, the un- fortunate duelist was not fully recovered from — the effects of it. His face was thin and white, and his legs were a trifle wabbly; but his eyes. were clearer than they had been in years, thanks to his enforced abstinence from wines and punches of late. The two-met in that pleasant resort on the water-front where the sea-wind and the music of the surf flooded in all day long at the open - windows and doors. As. luck would have it, Stanton was celebrating his first day of freedom from the irksome UNO) of Mr. Willis and Dr. Hamm. When Alexander Burnham che the room with one of the reefers from the sloop he beheld | a company of six seated at a round table, with a _ huge punch-bowl in their midst, and at another table Mr. Willis, Captain Cross, and Mr. Morton. He bowed to the company at large and went over to Cross’s table, with the midshipman at his heels. comichooks.cormn