The Wasp, 1918 · page 98 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 98: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains narrative prose rather than a cartoon. It's an excerpt from what appears to be a serialized story in *The Wasp*, a 19th-century American satirical magazine. The passage describes a breakfast scene at the Nash household. The narrative focuses on tension between two men: James Burnham and another unnamed character. Burnham apparently knows compromising information about the other man—a "matter of cheatery" from London—which makes the other man nervous. The detailed description of the elaborate breakfast (turtle steak, curries, abundant spirits and wines) likely satirizes wealthy American or British social pretension and excess. The final detail—that only Burnham and the lady drink tea while other gentlemen ignore the tea-urn—appears designed to emphasize Burnham's unusual or pointed behavior, suggesting he's deliberately setting himself apart or making a social statement. Without seeing the cartoon portions or knowing the serialized story's full context, the specific satirical target remains unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP 89 is unlikely that he could have found any other man to believe him—but the eyes of James Burnham played the mischief with his nerves, and always had. Why hadn’t he left the fellow in peace? Why had he referred to that little “matter of cheatery that had taken place so long ago in far-away London ? Miss Nash appeared, and her father’s guests were presented to her. Soon after this all passed into another room, where a long table was set for a breakfast of even more than usual profusion. . : _ The meal began with several choice varieties of fish and went on to turtle steak, to pepper-pot, baked yams, roast fowl, curries, omelets, jellies, and fruits. Spirits and wines were served throughout the meal. Decanters and _ gilt- inscribed bottles stood honestly upon the white cloth, and something was within reach of every hand. In case the liquor which you particularly wanted happened to be more than the length of your arm away, all you had to do was to ask someone to push it along to you. - But few of the gentlemen patronized Elizabeth _Nash’s silver tea-urn. Only James Burnham _ and the lady drank tea ; and you must not think _ that Burnham drank it with any idea of pleasing comichbooks.com