The Wasp, 1918 · page 260 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 260: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be from a serialized adventure narrative rather than a traditional political cartoon. It depicts a dramatic scene among sailors or fishermen discovering that Tom Croft has died overnight. The passage satirizes working-class superstition and opportunism: Tom reportedly believed thirteen was unlucky and has conveniently died, proving his superstition "correct." One character attempts to collect a debt from Tom's body—the exact amount of "a little cross," suggesting Tom owed him money representable by that small sum—while James Burnham prioritizes the living crew's survival over settling accounts with the dead. The humor lies in the dark irony of Tom's fatal superstition and the crude materialism of his former friend, who sees death as merely a business inconvenience. The context suggests this is likely from a longer adventure tale published serially in *The Wasp*.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 251 All were astir at daybreak—all except Tom Croft. Several of them were tactless enough to look at poor Bill Hook, who was just having his morning chills, as if they had not expected to see him. They hallooed for Tom, but only the echoes answered them. They looked again Pat Bill; and Bill smiled painfully back at them’ PE SEE OF ENING S E IA GS SEER OF HS despite the chattering of his teeth. ““ Dead of his own physic!” exclaimed one. ** Bill got ’im.” _ James Burnham laughed. “Tf Tom is dead,” he said, “ then he’s got his own silly superstition to thank for it. Now we are twelve ; and there’s the end o’ it.”’ Tom was in the right o’ it, anyhow,” said one of the men. “ He said as how thirteen was unlucky, an’ now he’s proved it. Where'd ye _ plant “im, Bill? Tom Croft an’ me was good friends, we was, an’ he owed mea mite o’ money, ~ he did—just about what that there little cross would square. Pipe up,-matey, so’s I can go an’ take a last sight o’ Tom’s poor remains. Where'd ye put him to?” | 2 é “ Stow that!” said James sharply. ‘“ We’ve no time for collecting debts from the dead. It’s the livin’ we’re concerned with.” The little boat crawled northward along the e comichooks.com