Judge, 1892-12-03 · page 31 of 52
Judge — December 3, 1892 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the gap between stage performance and real behavior. The poem describes a theatrical melodrama where actors play villain and heroine—he's menacing and forceful per the script, she's properly resistant. But the humor lies in what happens *off-stage*: the heroine gives the villain "one swift, sweet glance" (not in the play), and crucially, "he kissed her after the curtain fell, / And that was not in the play." The implication is that the actors are romantically involved despite their staged antagonism. The lower cartoon shows "Rancho Bill," apparently a rough character in smoke-filled chaos, apologizing for his bad temper but claiming it "don't last long"—before suggesting everyone drink ("licker up"). The joke appears to be similar: real behavior contradicts claimed character, or promises to reform are immediately undermined by actions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
= WAS the villain! standing there Darkly handsome and debonair, And she bade him be gone with a lofty air; But that was part of the play. The heroine she! and a gown from id much enhance ; ¢ him one swift, sweet glance, And that was not in the play. He roughly seized her delicate wrist, And grimly eyed her and fiercely hissed, “You are mine, and my prey T have never missed !” But that was part of the play, er Her voice rang out like a clear-toned bell, And his loathed advances she did repel; But he kissed her after the curtain fell, And that was not in the play. RANcito Bint (as the snsoke clears away) —" Well, boys, VI admit L've got a bad temper ; but you must acknowledge it don't last long. Let's licker up!" comicbooks.com