Judge, 1889-11-16 · page 7 of 16
Judge — November 16, 1889 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical sketches typical of late 19th-century humor: **"An Idyl of the Buffet"** mocks romantic pretension. A man at a fancy dinner constructs elaborate poetic fantasies about a melancholy woman, imagining her deep sorrows—only to learn she simply wants chicken and ham. The satire targets excessive sentimentality and the gap between male romantic idealization and female practicality. **"A Kentucky Diversion"** jokes about frontier courtship customs: a couple must elope with the girl's father and brothers literally chasing them on horseback—suggesting this is routine, expected behavior rather than scandal. **"Crawling Out of It"** and **"Deceived"** are dialect humor featuring working-class or immigrant characters in comic situations involving misunderstandings. **"Proof Positive"** gently ridicules cultural snobbery: a woman dismisses poet Robert Browning as dated, then contradicts herself by citing his popularity in Kansas City society—implying provincial tastes determine literary merit. The cartoons employ visual caricature alongside text to amplify the humor, typical of Judge's satirical approach to contemporary social manners and pretension.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AN IDYL OF THE BUFFET. HE sate mid the glare and the glitter, She seemed in the depths of despair ; And the very champagne tasted bitter At sorrow of maiden so fair. Her beautiful eyes—sad and pensive— Looked down as though loathing the light— Oh, my appetite’s always extensive, Yet I ate scarce a morse! that night ! For I conjured up visions of sorrow, Of happiness shattered and dead, Of lovers who love till the morrow And fly ere the morrow be fled. ‘Then I worked out the rhymes for a ballad On beauty and true lovers’ pain, ‘Till I spilt my" éres see" on the salad And woke to this dull earth again, Like the night-breeze that waileth all doleful She sighed, and she gazed at me so That I sprang to this damosel soulful And prayed her to tell me her woe. “Sweet maiden,” cried I, ‘*be confiding ; Your humblest of servants I am She murmured, her blushing face hiding, . “Then get me some chicken and ham. Uexvor. ‘Tis so with our visions imperial, They fade into commonplace sham ; And the maidens we deemed so ethereal All dote upon—chicken and ham! Jiory —"* L'il sit here and keep watch while vou go in, and if anybody comes I'll rattle this plece of wire.” A REFLECTION. Young Jokar —"*A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men,’ you kno Old Money-begs (angrily) —“But I'd have you understand, sir, that I'm not one of the best ‘of men.” A KENTUCKY DIVERSION. Kentucky girl —" \s everything all ready, George?” Lover —*Yes; all the preparations have been made.” Kentucky girl— Have father and the boys got their horses all saddled ready to chase us the moment we elope ? Lover —"\ have arranged everything.” Kentucky girl—" Well, then, | suppose we've got to run for it.” Mr, Coaks— What wuz yo' gigglin’ at den? Mr. Renpi all I says wuz d: CRAWLING OUT OF IT. Mn. CoaKs—"'I seen yer, yo’ brack scorpyon Mr. Reni 3 —'Seen meh what?" Seen yo’ a-lookin’ at miy feet 'n laffin’.”” «1 warn't laffin’ at yo" feet—'deed I wuzzent.” pit it out trooful now !" Mistah Wiggin, heal, axed me how many feet dey wuz in a yahd, ’n it ‘pended on who owned d' feet. PROOF POSITIVE. ©¢D)ID you say you thought Browning was going out of date?” “Well, yes; it appears so to me.” What do you base your opinion on ?” saw a paragraph in a newspaper saying’ that he was all the rage in the society circles of Kansas City. IT SPOILED A SALE. New York woman —* Pshaw, mother | you don’t want that hat. will think you are in your second childhood.” AMillinery-clerk (aside) —* What is she, madam—in her third?” People DECEIVED. BRANNIGAN (cho has taken a deep draught of Worcestershire sauce on the sly) —"'Sure, Oi've heard tell ay th’ iligance av th’ American arishtocracy, but be th’ powers, a sod-cabin County Clare Mick would lock his mout’ agin phusky like thot, Pfwhew !" comicbooks.com