The Wasp — 1893 — page 442: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The cartoon depicts a man in Western attire (hat, vest, gun belt) gesturing expressively while speaking. The accompanying text describes an interaction at a saloon where this character requests a drink, then engages in a philosophical exchange about paying for it. The humor appears to center on a confidence scheme: the stranger claims poverty but appeals to the bartender's sympathy, eventually negotiating to leave his "address" as payment. The bartender grows suspicious, ultimately driving him out. The satire likely mocks both naive bartenders who extend credit and smooth-talking drifters who exploit hospitality through charm and deception—a common con-artist trope in late 19th-century American frontier culture and literature.