Judge, 1895-08-10 · page 6 of 16
Judge — August 10, 1895 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects rural American humor from the late 19th/early 20th century, satirizing small-town life and frontier character types. **Main themes:** The "Questions" and "Gratuitous Advice" sketches mock small-town nosiness and unsolicited interference—a returning visitor is bombarded with personal questions; a man driving a post attracts a crowd of "helpers." This reflects urban magazine readers' stereotypes about provincial life as intrusive and backward. **Regional humor:** "In the Mountains" jokes about frontier hotel proprietors; "Faro Dan" and "Alkali Ike" reference rough Western gamblers and frontier violence (vigilante justice). "Mr. Pedalman's Encounter with a New Jersey Mosquito" (illustrated on the right) exaggerates the mosquito as comically oversized—a common regional boast about regional pests. **Social commentary:** The opening "Fair Warning" depicts a farmer protecting his daughter from boarders—reflecting rural anxieties about outside influence and courting customs. Overall, the page presents rural America as quaint, meddlesome, and slightly backward—entertainment for urban readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
iid oN NESTE! AAG ty FAIK WAKNING TO THE BOARDERS. Farmen Prre—" Now, boys, I'm powerful glad ter hev ye all ter board with me, but T don’t want ye flirtin® with my gal—mind thet.” QUESTIONS. HE HAD not been in his native town (of a few hundred souls) in years. Time seemed to have stood still there. ‘The “spirit of progression” had not reached the place; some of the oldest inhabitants had dropped off, and the only “'stock-in-trade” of the town seemed to be asking questions. Afraid of becoming too expert in answering, he made a short stay and was just climbing into the old stage when a hatless man rushed up. “William, how do?” he said. “Why don’t you stay longer? Where are you going? Where did you come from and what is your business >" * For the last twenty years,” he said, addressing everybody in sight, “| have been attending to my own business, and I find it pays better than taking care of other people's affairs."” IN THE MOUNTAINS. Traveler —" Do you good meals at this hotel? Proprictor—"Nes, indeed. I'm fairly deluged with com- plaints from the boarders that they live too high for comfort.” e THEY MIGHT HAVE WAITED. NO DIFFERENCE. Faro Dan—"'I never seen sich bad luck as I hev at poker, “Brown bread or tke. ALKALI Ike—"'T hey, an’ thet wuz when Texas Tom drew Web Gali four aces jes’ thirty seconds before th’ vigilantes dropped in an’ fe—"It makes no differ- hung ‘im. ence to me; I am color-blind.” GRATUITOUS ADVICE. Mr, Backtown is only driving a post — MR, PEDALMAN’S ENCOUNTER WITH A NEW JERSEY MOSQUITO. As told by himself. —but before he gets through all the village is on hand to tell him how to do it. comicbooks.com