Judge, 1898-04-09 · page 6 of 18
Judge — April 9, 1898 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humorous pieces satirizing turn-of-the-century American life: **"In Quest of Tidings from Zeb"** depicts a working-class wife at a telegraph office inquiring about her husband Zeb, who left for the Klondike Gold Rush with minimal prospects. The joke plays on her naive optimism—she expects him to either strike it rich *or* return with a fabricated tale of misadventure, yet doubts both outcomes. The telegraph-editor's sardonic observations about character judgment mock both the woman's credulity and the absurdity of gold-rush fever. **"The Envy of the Alley"** shows a street scene where poorer children covet a well-dressed girl's Easter bonnet and violets—status symbols marking class difference. **"An Unexpected Color Combination"** and the bottom cartoons depict a boy (Tommy) experimenting with Easter eggs, played for physical comedy. These pieces mock working-class aspirations, desperation during the gold rush, class consciousness, and domestic absurdities—all characteristic Judge magazine fare targeting middle-class readers with gentle ridicule of social pretension and foolishness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
232 IN QUEST OF_TIDING! oo | JEDGE this here's the telegraph desk. -“Hain't heerd whether Zeb 's arriv’, hev ye>” | * Zeb?" que graph-editor. | . “That's the chap— Zeb Smith,” she assented, “ Smallish chap, about my age, middlin’ bow- legged, squint in one eye an’ a mole on the end of his nose. He'd likely be drunk, an’ hev acouple of ornery dogs along with him.” “No such arrival at the Klondike re ported,""replied the telegraph- editor! “The chances would’: be about:a: million to one against such a . fan. as you describe ever teaching there, ried the tele- Y I should think. , Did he haye any capital?" | “Had fifty cents when he left hum—ef so be he ‘got by the saloon’ with ‘it! man, I want to ast you some more questions.” . “Very well, madam." “S'posen Zeb did git, there, jedge he'd git rich 27°" S* “The man‘who gets rich at Klondike is the persistent, indus- trious, enduring-man, madam.” “Hajn't’ heerd of, no case when a man up there set around a saloon all day long an" guzzled liquor, an’ woke’ up. with” his pockets full of gold, hev ye?” The telegraph-editor shook _ his head. “ Or when it was’ found in his ear when they picked -him up in the gutter?” Again the token of negation from the telegraph-man. Tommy seeks to utilize his Easter-eggs. 's the place to come fur news from Alasky," she “remarked, approaching a S FROM ZEB. “Humph! I’ reckoned’ as much. Alasky’ ain't no place fur Zeb,” said she as she turned to leave the room, “Some friend of yours, I judge, madam ” asked the telegraph-editor. “ Wa-al, no—not ezackly, Ye see, Zeb's my man. We fit, an’ Zeb he left hum to make his fortin.”” “Tam afraid we mustn't expect to hear that Zeb is a millionaire just yet,” said the telegraph-edit- or with a smile. “isay, young man, do you take me for an idjit? What I expect is to hear a cock’- an’- bull story about Zeb's bein’ overtook by Injuns an‘ rob- bed of his hard- earnt gold— that's what! But folks ‘Il find out that I ain't no sech old softy as Zeb Smith thinks.” And her jaws closed with a snap that could be heard half a block away. “If Mr. Zebulon Smith thinks that wo- man is an old softy,” mused the telegraph- editor after she had departed, “ that some- what disreputable individual adds to his other shortcomings the most remarkable case of defective character-reading which has hap- pened, in my brief experience, to come under my observation,” Tile iia sce we AVN THE ENVY OF TIE ALLEY, | An Easter hat and a bunch of violets, Say young , should you ALBERT &. HOYT. DOLEFUL OUTLOOK. oe HY does the husband of the two-headed woman wear such a doleful look ?” asked. the living skeleton. “ Easter is coming and she insists upon having two new bonnets,” replied the India-rub- ber man. AN. ILLUSTRATION, Wire—" Why, Japhet! I thought you never swore unless it was to illustrate somethi = Jarnet—" Well—m-m—ain’t I tryin’ to illustrate how mad I be?" AN UNEXPECTED ‘COLOR COMBINATION. A startling result. comicbooks.com