The Wasp, 1918 · page 50 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page appears to be from a serialized fiction story rather than a political cartoon. It depicts a scene aboard a ship where a character named Burnham receives a bottle of rum and water from another character, Todd, whom Burnham has apparently treated dismissively as a "whipped dog of a friend." The passage illustrates Burnham's hypocrisy: he ironically congratulates himself on his "tender and genial disposition" and the power of "kind words," immediately after having spoken to Todd with contempt. He then sneaks the bottle away to drink alone, hoarding it secretly. The satire appears to target pretentious self-deception—characters who congratulate themselves for virtue while behaving selfishly. Without seeing the broader narrative context or knowing the publication date, the specific satirical target remains unclear, though the critique of duplicitous behavior was common in American satirical magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP AL contrariness, he had “spoken cheerily to the _ terrified youngster. Todd turned at the foot a the ladder, stared at Burnham for a second or two without a sound, then thrust a bottle into his hands. Next moment he was gone up the ladder and through the hatch. ** It would seem that I fee a friend aboard this accursed tub,” said Burnham. ‘‘ A whipped dog of a friend, to be sure—but of some use, perhaps. It is wonderful what a kind word will do. What a blessing it is to be possessed - with a tender and genial disposition ! ” He sneered, removed the cork from the bottle, and sniffed at the neck. Then he raised the bottle and took a few drops cautiously on his - tongue. It was a weak but refreshing mixture of rum and water. His mouth and throat were dry, and his ape _was like leather. He tilted the bottle again and drank deep. He hid the precious bottle in a nook beside the heel of the bowsprit and returned to the corner in which he had found ‘ himself upon first recovering consciousness. He sprawled limply, closed his aching eyes, and _ thought hard in spite of the oO of- his head. comichooks.com