Judge, 1913-09-20 · page 11 of 24
Judge — September 20, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story satirizes the decline of romantic passion after marriage. Hugh Thornbray is a successful, self-important writer and man-about-town—an arbiter of taste at exclusive clubs. Lulu Dingle is a comedienne actress who initially resisted marriage for her career but was won over by his pursuit. The satire centers on how quickly their honeymoon fades. Rather than sustaining romance, Hugh returns to his literary ambitions, reading his "masterpiece" to Lulu (who politely calls it "lovely"). Lulu, bored and disconnected, adopts an affected pose on the sofa—physically distant despite being together. The cartoon above illustrates this emotional distance: though still together, they sit apart on opposite sides of a large chair, embodying the title's theme. The story suggests that marriage to a self-absorbed public figure and aspiring serious writer cannot sustain the enthusiasm needed for marital happiness. The incompatibility stems from conflicting egos and diverging interests post-honeymoon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HEIR honeymoon had ended. Thornbray had been a hero to They were still fond of each other, of course. But not too fond. The wisdom of the ages has had something to do in naming matrimony’s early period the hon- eymoon. The moon changes, and honey cloys. In this case there was a revival of individuality, habit and the ego. Hugh Thornbray was a figure in contemporary life, and he knew it. Vocationally he was a story writer, devel- oped from that nursery of literature, journalism. He wrote for a public that knew him, and not for posterity. The writer for posterity gets no royalties. Thornbray’s avocations had been ranching, broncho-busting, globe-trotting, war chronicling, and generally pushing his way into the limelight. At half a dozen clubs in town he was the arbiter, referee, or appellate judge on all questions related to the fields of his activity. Incompatibility Ry J. A, WALDRON the fair of more than one region, but he described the lover better than he acted the part. Enthusi- asm does much for a man in this field, and infatuation does more. Thornbray feil in love with Miss Lulu Dingle, a comedienne with a vogue. She had always said she would live alone for her art, but he laid such a siege that she capitulated, as she was a little proud of the conquest. And — they were married. As the honeymoon waned, Hugh began again to write. He had said he was at work on his masterpiece, and that their happiness would color the tafe. When he read Lulu the first few chapters she thought it was “‘lovely.’* One evening after dinner Lulu seemed a bit out of sorts, She assumed a negligent—yet a habitually graceful —attitude on a sofa, as if undecided whether to sit or stand as Hugh ap- proached from the other side. comicbooks.com