Judge, 1894-06-30 · page 7 of 17
Judge — June 30, 1894 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple brief humorous sketches typical of Judge's satirical format: **"The Reason Why"** mocks a shoe-shiner's circular logic about unshiable shoes—a working-class joke. **"A Frivolous Interruption"** plays on the phrase "ships that pass in the night" (meaning brief encounters), suggesting popular novels contain such tropes; the poker club finds this observation ridiculous enough to end their discussion. **"A Long Job"** depicts a couple ice-skating where the man takes so long fastening her skates that it becomes too late to skate—gentle domestic humor. **"An Ambiguous Amphibian"** presents a tall tale: a frog frozen mid-song in North Dakota ice thaws in a Chicago businessman's water glass, croaking "Are you out?" then "On the fly"—absurdist humor playing on the frog's double meanings. **"Incompatibles"** offers a racist joke conflating Black people with watermelon and buttermilk consumption, reflecting period stereotypes. **"The Play from the Auditorium"** shows theatrical character masks. The page emphasizes wordplay, absurdism, and period prejudices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE OVER-ZEALOUS RIVAIS AND THE IMPERTINENT DOG A “ ON ANY SHO; |WET_OR GREASY: THE REASON WHY. *: There's a pair o' shoes yer can’t put a shine on,” “*1'd like ter know why I’ can’t ?* **Cause 1 won't let yer, See?” A FRIVOLOUS INTERRUPTION. HEY were discussing the merits of a re- cent popular novel when somebody pro- posed the following : “ Popular with the members of the poker that pass in the night.” It broke up the meeting. A LONG JOB. ~ HE FUMBLES, stops and hesitates, Yet neithe? seéms to mind the waiting; Though when he’s fastened on her skates 1 —Waiting for the cur- They find it rather late for skating. tain to rise. makes te, 10 comedian 4_"The heroine's woes. gets in his work, 5—The heavy villain AN AMBIGUOUS AMPHIBIAN. THE climate at Devil's lake, North Dakota, is noted for its some what erratic changes. One day last August, during the heated term, a frog, sitting on his native water-lily leaf, was catching flies and singing a song to his mate, somewhere concealed in the vicinity. Sud- denly winter swept down from the skies, congealed the lake, and froze the song in his mouth, : The other day a citizen of Chicago, who uses ice only from the pure waters of Devil's lake, was: enjoying his dinner in the quietude of his home. In the midst of a’ pleasant reverie, such as men have during periods of financial distress, he was startled by a voice in his goblet saying, “Are you out, are you ou-et?” Puzzled at this extraordinary phenomenon, the citizen awaited developments, well knowing, since the advent of the Coxey movement, that anything may happen in this country. Pretty soon more ice melted in his goblet and a more effeminate tone was heard in an- swer —“ On the fly, on the fly.” INCOMPATIBLES. She —* What is the irrepressible conflict the papers sometimes refer to— something about the negro?” He—“Yes; especially after he drinks buttermilk and eats watermelon.” 6—A love-scene. THE PLAY FROM THE AUDITORIUM. comichoohs com