The Wasp — 1892 — page 382: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical serialized column titled "The Old Maid's Diary," featuring a gossipy narrator's account of Santa Cruz society life. The illustration shows a caricatured elderly woman in period dress. The text mocks Santa Cruz's reputation for scandal and social impropriety—specifically gossiping about hotel proprietors' affairs, real estate agents, divorce cases, and elopements. The narrator adopts a scandalized-but-fascinated tone while claiming moral superiority ("I wouldn't listen to any more such stuff"). The satire targets both the hypocrisy of judgmental gossips and Santa Cruz's reputation as a place where wealthy people engage in affairs and legal circumventions. It's social satire aimed at a readership familiar with local scandal and character.