The Wasp, 1918 · page 289 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 289: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains prose fiction rather than a cartoon. It describes a violent confrontation and theft scenario: a man named Stanton is beaten with a "supple-jack" (a flexible cane), his clothes torn to ribbons by an intruder who steals a supple-jack. The following night, a character named James prepares for some venture wearing fine new clothes and a wig. He retrieves an artificial leather hump—ostensibly a hunchback disguise—which actually functions as a hidden container. From this concealment, he extracts canvas packets containing precious gems: diamonds and rubies that sparkle vividly. The narrative suggests a crime story involving robbery, disguise, and concealment of stolen jewels. Without additional context about *The Wasp's* publication date or the story's title, it's unclear whether this is satirical commentary on specific social issues or simply serialized crime fiction that the magazine published.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
36 THE WASP one in his apparent condition and shot out a long leg. Stanton came to the uncarpeted floor with a crash. : _. The intruder snatched up the discarded supple- jack and laced the prostrate husband about the back and legs until the cloth of the garments was cut into ribbons. This done, he left the — room without a word and returned to the street by the way he-had come up from it, ls the supple-jack with him. On the next night James attired ines in his new, fine clothes, his new wig, and his new hat. He cut a distinguished figure. Before | leaving his bedroom he produced the artificial hump of leather from its hiding-place. He laid © the contrivance on the dressing-table between | the two candles, untied some thongs on the © | under side of it, and raised a flap of leather. - Evidently the thing was a receptacle as well © as a disguise, for from its hollow interior he drew several small but heavy packets done up securely in canvas. With the point of his knife he cut the threads which bound one of the packets He turned back the canvas, and a blaze o many coloured fires leaped up between his hands There lay diamonds, alive with white flame: and blue flames ; ; tubies pulsing as red as living - icomicbooks.