Judge — March 22, 1902 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This two-panel comic satirizes urban street hustlers and immigrants through the character "The Tough Kid." In panel 1, a street porter with an exaggerated immigrant accent ("der ferry," "boss") offers to carry an old pinchpenny's baggage for a dime. The cheapskate refuses, claiming the porter couldn't manage it. Panel 2 shows the porter has simply picked up the old man himself, carrying him like luggage to the ferry. His delighted comment—"It's like findin' money"—plays on the ironic humor: he's found an easy way to get paid by literally transporting the customer. The joke relies on period stereotypes of immigrant laborers and con-artist street kids, mocking both the working poor's resourcefulness and the miserly wealthy. The title suggests this is a "modern" (early 1900s) alternative to conventional transportation.