Judge, 1913-08-09 · page 5 of 24
Judge — August 9, 1913 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks the social awkwardness of chance encounters between married couples and their paramours at public beaches. The cartoon depicts a wife (in dark bathing suit, center) unexpectedly encountering her husband with another woman at a seaside gathering. The dialogue reveals the satire's target: wives who arrange beach meetings with lovers under the pretense of innocent outings, while condemning husbands for doing the same. The waitress character serves as a moral commentator, noting the hypocrisy—wives claim respectability yet engage in infidelity themselves. The piece satirizes early 20th-century marital double standards and the pretense of propriety among the leisure class, suggesting that infidelity was rampant across genders despite public morality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AND YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONLY PEBBLE ON THE BEACH Interrupting an in Folly Outing By ROBERT P. HARRISON THE PRETTY little French waitress hovered about as Mrs. Wallston found a seat at a table on the lawn at the Road- side Inn. Adroitly, that same little waitress, scenting trouble, bad directed Mrs. Wallston’s steps to a table a little removed from the crowd of gayly dressed seekers of refreshments, who gave such an appearance of life and summer coloring to the scene. “Can I serve you, madam?”’ said the maid softly. “Yes. Bring me a seltzer and lemon.’’ “At once, madam.”’ “Waitress, just a moment, please,’’ said Mrs. Wallston, scarcely lifting her voice. ‘Just what kind of a roadhouse is this?” * “A var-r-ry charming place, madam; the air is so pure, the gentlemen say the golf links are var-r-ry interesting, the food is supairb, and the wine excellent.’" “I do not mean as an advertisement, but as to its character.’” “Oh, madam expects to meet some one here?”’ “Yes; my husband."’ “Unexpectedly to him—yes?"" “Why do you say that?”* “That is the only way wives meet their hus- bands here. Too bad, is it not? Perhaps if wives would arrange to meet their husbands here, with an un- derstanding, surprise meetings would not be so necessary."’ **How did you know that I am to surprise my husband?’’ “‘Madam is not happy. Madam is here to confront her hus- band. I am sorry. Every wife should be happy,’’ said the waitress, industriously polishing the top of the table-to hide her own embarrassment at the frankness of her speech. “Wait until you are a wife.”” “‘I am married, madam. My husband and I do not always agree, but we make it up, in each other’s arms—for every wife, if she wills it so, is supre-e-eme.’’ ‘But if your husband were paying attention to another woman?’ “I would love him back. A wife with a fine figure and a beautiful face like madam’s should be ashamed to let another woman win her hus- band. Did madam ever notice that the woman a man follows off is always uglier than his wife?’’ “*Yes. Why does he go?”’ “Because the other woman.loves him or pre- tends to, while the wife ceases to even pretend, so long as she thinks it unnecessary. In the city I once worked at a hotel, as a maid. Often I have seen a husband and wife from some country town come tothe city. While there, does the wife comicbooks.com