Judge, 1911-09-30 · page 12 of 23
Judge — September 30, 1911 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces of humor: **Main Story: "What She Forgot"** — A satirical letter from Mrs. DeClarke to her husband, illustrating the stereotype of the scatterbrained, forgetful wife. She claims to have carefully prepared for a country trip but forgot numerous items—ranging from practical (rubbers, toothbrush) to sentimental (children's toys, books). The joke relies on the contradictory claim that she took "all the care" while forgetting nearly everything, escalating through multiple postscripts as she remembers more forgotten items. This mocks the conventional image of disorganized, frivolous women. **Bottom Cartoon: "Equation"** — A brief joke about a man doing figure-eights. The woman calls it "higher mathematics"; he corrects her to "plane geometry." The humor plays on mathematical terminology: "plane" (flat, two-dimensional) geometry versus "higher" mathematics, with the skating figure creating a flat pattern on ice. Both pieces employ mild, domestic humor typical of early 20th-century Judge magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HER. HEART AND SOLE WHAT SHE FORGOT. By J. L. HARBOUR. 7 (From a letter from Mrs. DeClarke to Mr. DeClarke.) Y DEAR Tom—I find that, with all the care I took in regard to remembering everything I wanted to bring with me to the coun- try, there are a few little things that I have forgotten, and I wish that you would send them to me as soon as you can. In the first place, dear, I find that I forgot my rubbers and my glove but- toner and also my toothbrush. Will you please hunt them up, and also my shoe buttoner and the small whisk broom that hangs on a hook by the dresser in my room? [also forgot my raincoat and my two pairs of entirely new stockings that you will find somewhere about the house in the paper in which I brought them home from the store. I also forgot Willie’s rubbers and Katie’s reefer, which I am sure she will need, as the evenings are real chilly here. Send also my embroidery book, which I forgot, and also my large pair of scissors and the ball of brown darning cotton that you will find in my work basket. I find that I also forgot to put in the copy of Browning's poems and the copy of “Vanity Fair’’ I want to read again this summer. 1 do think that the old school of novelists are ever so much more in- teresting than the new, and I want you to put in the copy of ‘‘Evelina” that I left, I think, on the mantel in the sit- ting-room and forgot to put into the trunk. I also meant to bring that un- finished table cover that I began to em- broider at the beach three years ago and have never finished. Please send it, as I want something in the way of pick-up work here. Joey has just reminded me of the fact that I forgot to put in his ball, and Katie is quite heartbroken be- cause I forgot to put in her second-best doll. It is somewhere in the nursery— the doll with one eye gone and most of the hair. Katie says it has on a red EQUATION. She—' Would you call his doing the figure eight ‘higher mathematics ' ?"" He—"Yep, Plane geometry."” knitted jacket and nothing else, so you will easily recognize her when you see her. I meant to bring a dozen new nap- kins to hem, but I find that I have for- gotten them. I think you will find them on a shelf in the closet in my room. Please send them and also a spool of 60 white cotton to hem them with. The cotton is in my work basket. Sorry to trouble you, dear, and I will try not to be so forgetful next time. Your loving wife, Helen, P. S.—I have opened my letter to add that I find that I have forgotten my lit- tle case of homeopathic remedies, and I shall need them if the children have colds or slight fevers here. I shall also want , my little alcohol lamp that I find I for- got to put in, and also my bottle of witch hazel, which is almost indispensable when one is in the country with chil- dren, I needed it this morning, when poor little Joey got stung by a horrid bee. H. N. B.—I may not need it, but I find that I have forgotten the scissors that go with my manicuring set, and also a corset cover I shall need. You will probably find it on a hook in my closet. It has two rows of narrow pink ribbon run through the embroidery. Please gather up these things before you go downtown in the morning and send them by express. Please stop at some apoth- ecary store and get a cake of white cas- tile soap and put in the package. Ineed it to wash my hair and find I have for- gotten to bring any. Where a Past Counts. «TS THERE for a been’?”” “Yes; in vaudeville.’” “But what could one do?’’ “One has to do nothing when one ‘has been’ connected with a society sensa- tion.’” no place ‘has comicbooks.com