Judge, 1904-05-14 · page 5 of 20
Judge — May 14, 1904 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a slapstick comedy strip satirizing both romantic melodrama and the character "Nervy Nat," who appears to be a recurring comedic figure in *Judge* magazine. The humor centers on a botched elopement inspired by *Romeo and Juliet*: Nat attempts to romance "Miss Stowr" by quoting Shakespeare, but his incompetence undermines the romantic gesture. He provides a faulty ladder for her escape; she falls partway down, he panics and flees, and she indignantly calls him a coward—suggesting she'd prefer a "piano-mover" (a strong laborer) to such an unreliable suitor. The satire mocks both Nat's pretentious literary references and the absurdity of elopement scenarios generally. The joke relies on physical comedy and Nat's characteristic haplessness rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
II | ‘Tl il Miss Stowr—'‘* Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?’ * Nervy Nat—"'By Jove, Canopus and Fido, the dog-star! a lovely maiden that! 1 will hold converse with her. She evidently pines for a protector. Perchance we may elope.”* ONT 7 a 2. Miss Stowr—"' Ah, dear Romeo! are you come to bid me fly with you?” Nervy Nat—"' Even 50, Julle; even as the hippopot—I mean the sky- lark—flies. I will fetch a ladder, my prize-package; and whilst | am gone for that get your lid and your grip, and we'll skip by the light of the moon,"* Nervy Nat—"' This is rather a skinny young ladder, my dear, for such a solid bunch of loveliness as yourself, but it will have to do.” Miss Stowr—"* It doesn't look very strong, Romey: but I'll hold my breath, and | believe I can get down all right. Hurry, though: | think | hear popper talking in his sleep. He's very watchful of his little Juliet.” Miss Stowr Nervy Nat 4 Miss Stowr—"' Hold tight, Romeo! | will be down ina minute.” Nexvy N. I th-th-think you're right. I have a presentiment that something is going to transpire very shortly, if not sooner. ‘Break the news to mother * "—— 6 Miss Stowr—‘ Git, and quick, too, or I'll set Tige on you! Elope with a man that would deliberately let a lady fall twenty feet! Why, I'd see myself nibbled to death by young ducks first."” Nervy Nat—‘' ‘Get thee to a nunnery,’ woman! What you want Is a plano-mover—that's the answer!"" NO. 24.—NERVY NAT NEARLY ELOPES.