Judge, 1905-12-16 · page 14 of 48
Judge — December 16, 1905 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip following a clever rogue named Nervy Nat through a scheme to obtain Christmas dinner. On penniless Christmas night in Liverpool, Nat spots a goose intended for the lord mayor and steals it. He then talks his way into a cook's house, charming her into preparing the bird. When a police officer arrives investigating the theft, Nat smoothly flatters the officer's detective work and offers to personally compliment the lord mayor on his "excellent judgment" in choosing the goose—implying he'll retrieve it before the mayor notices it missing. The satire targets the confidence man archetype: Nat's glib tongue and shameless manipulation let him exploit working-class characters (the cook, the officer) through flattery. The humor comes from his brazen audacity and the working-class characters' naive susceptibility to charm.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NERVY NAT HAS GOOSE FOR CHRISTMAS. Nervy Nat—*' Christmas night in Liverpool! Not a cent did! get to- day. Yes, on second thoughts, one. A pastry-cook whose tarts | was exam- ining—er—' handed me one!" A cry has gone up in the waste places of my being. demanding food or a durned good substitute. Ah, what hol in the middie distance It locks like a butcher's understudy bearing a fowl aloft!" Nervy Nat—"‘A touchdown, egad! Come to popper! The lad should be thankful to me for taking a load off his mind. Well. this is a bouncer, Bet it was going to the lord mayor's, But as the silly bird isn't dressed yet it’s no business to be out!” | Nervy Nar—"" Will you have the goodness to get your cook to cook this goose, madam ?” Coor—"' Oi'm cook, sor!" Nervy Nat—"* Well, now, who would have believed it! Just fancy a lovely ladylike creature like yourself being cook. You're just fooling now, own up!” Coor—"'Ol fancy you are ‘avin’ me on a bit of string, sor, but ‘00 could resist you? Come in, so1 Coox—"To think, Ellen, ’e tock me fer the missus! Ain't that a com- pliment for you? Keep ‘is glars filled with that stout, now moind! The goose is near done.” Nexvy Nat—" Here's glancing at you, my dears! And may each of you have a goose of your own in the near future."* 5. Orricer Stimm— Sorry, mum. but I've traced a stolen goose to this house."” Cook AND MAID—"' Lawks!"* Nervy Nat—‘ Mr. Officer. your investigations have gone as far as Is decently possible. Allow me to compliment your clever detective work | shall certainly see to it personally that you are recommended for promotion. The bird in debate is like ‘all Gaul,’ if you remember your Caesar, divided in three parts” Orricen Summ—*That goose was intended for his worship the lord mayor!"" Nervy Nar—“ Remarkable coincidence, officer. 1 guessed that much. Your lord mayor is a man of excellent judgment, and if you think he would take it in the right spirit i'll go rround with you now to his house and tell him what a bully judge of geese he is” comicbooks.com