Judge, 1908-06-20 · page 9 of 28
Judge — June 20, 1908 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical story depicts a city visitor's attempt to complain about poor accommodations at a rural farmhouse. The boarder criticizes the food, cooking, and corn-husk mattresses sarcastically, expecting the farmer to agree. However, the farmer—identified as old Alkins—consistently misinterprets each complaint as genuine praise, responding with pride about his wife Sary's abilities and the farm's hospitality. The satire targets the city boarder's condescension toward rural life and his failed attempt to assert urban superiority. Despite his sarcasm, every complaint backfires: the farmer boasts about his wife's cooking, the hired man's appetite, and the comfortable beds. The boarder eventually abandons his complaints, defeated by the farmer's good-natured obliviousness and genuine pride. The joke reflects period tensions between urban and rural values, mocking the city visitor's assumption that rural hospitality is inherently inferior while ultimately showing rural contentment superior to urban cynicism.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE SUMMER BOARDER'S KICK. ALKINS, the city chap, who had nfl spent a few weeks in the country UY and expected spring chicken, roast beef and ice-cream three times a day, was bidding the landlord, an aged farmer, good-bye at the depot, and he thought it would be a good time to relieve his mind. “* Your so-called hotel," he said, “would be a ise for people who had been wrecked on a desert island n years, but” al, that’s real good of ye to say so,’’ broke in the farmer, who thought a compliment was intended. ** Oh, you can keep the change,"” continued the man from the city sarcastically. ‘ The m would probably tickle a longshore- man to death, but’ “By gum! but it’s kind of ye to praise Sary's cookin’ so!" © thusiastically interrupted the land- lord agai he'll be as proud as a settin’ hen when I tell her."" “Yes; she ought to be proud of her work. She'd be a gem on acanal-boat, but "—— “She would, hey? Wa-al, I've allus said Sary could lay over anythin’ in the county on cookin’, an’ now you come “along an’ back me up in it. Why, I hev to chase the hired man away from the table with a club, or he'd If catin’.”” “Oh, he'll kill himself if he lives with you a little longer. And those corn-husk mattr your guests hav Say, they’re the limit!"” “They be, hey? Wa-al, of ye to say so! By gum! but Sary kin stir upabed! Slept like a baby, he; “Yes; just about as much as most babies sleep at night. me moving around at all hours, but thought I was anxious for bi around, so that I could me more of that hash you serve."" “+ Jest what I told Sary— jest what I told her! She kinder thought you was tired o’ hash, an’ how tickled she'll be when I tell her you —_— you serve to sleep on, jest fin You must have heard ‘ak fast time toc BRIDAL PROBL yan's shirt-waist — some fashionable t size but he’s an inch Kders something like yours, mi, with sl of course,” JMMER resort lawn mower, Borrowing one’s neighbor's couldn't sleep fur thinkin’ of it!” ‘The man from the city was wondering how he could make his kick better understood, but when he saw tears of pride and gratitude in the old farmer's e: it up as a bad job and boarded his train with smile on his face. ALK Lewis, MARRIED, HIMSELF Mrs. Peck bells" Henry Peck" Wedding, bells! lemon peals “Henry, listen to those wedding wenger tumbling over the shi You mean Old salt -“ How do you feel, my “Wet, ma'am—aeerry wet! SIME rood man, when the giant waves come comicbooks.com