Judge — January 7, 1899 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

**"A Delicate Question"** (top): A backwoods guide contemplates whether to kill a bear attacking a wealthy "dude" (Eastern tourist), calculating whether gratitude money exceeds the victim's pocket contents. This satirizes rural stereotypes—the dialect ("b'ar chaw 'im"), crude pragmatism, and assumption that a dude carries cash. The joke hinges on the guide's mercenary indifference to the tourist's fate. **"Bells of the New Year"** (middle): A sentimental poem about New Year's Eve, touching on loss and unfulfilled hopes—typical turn-of-year melancholy literature. **Comic strip** (bottom): Six panels depicting a woman introducing a small man at a social gathering. The dialogue suggests he's presented as a "clever" guest from "the prince," and observers remark he's "awfully fond of the ladies" and are amazed by his behavior. The humor appears to play on the man's diminutive stature and forward behavior toward women—likely a dwarf or performer being treated as novelty entertainment at a society event.