Judge, 1914-09-12 · page 6 of 24
Judge — September 12, 1914 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story satirizes marital discord through a domestic misunderstanding. A young wife discovers her husband has been having another woman mend his socks for years—without payment—a revelation implying an inappropriate relationship. The "Achilles' heel" reference is the story's ironic centerpiece: the husband, whom the wife imagined as heroic (Sir Galahad), reveals a fatal weakness—his willingness to accept free domestic service from another woman, suggesting infidelity or at minimum emotional entanglement. The satire targets both spouses: the husband's obliviousness and the wife's wounded pride. The accompanying illustration shows the dramatic confrontation in their library, with "Love" departing and "a green-eyed imp" (jealousy) entering. The companion advertisement "Treatment for Bores" reinforces the page's marital theme, mocking relationships through a woman's retort about wanting to be a man.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OUR BETTOR HALVES—BRIDGE AT A PENNY A POINT The Darned Heel of Achilles By W. T. NICHOLS HE YOUNG wife glanced across the library table. On the other side the young husband was deep in his evening paper. “Eddie!"’ She spoke softly, tenderly. There was a dreamy smile on her face; in her hand was a sock she had just taken from a dainty workbasket. “U-m-m!'’ His response was muffled, indistinct, perfunctory. She smoothed the sock on a knee. “Ed!'"" Her voice was affectionate, but not quite so cooing. ‘‘Eh?’’ He was like a congressman re- sponding ‘‘Present!’’ on a°roll-call, ad- mitting existence, but not committing himself. ‘Edward!’ The faintest of frowns shaded her brow. “‘Well?’’ He lowered his newspaper. ‘Do you know, do you realize this is the first—the very first—sock I've ever mended for you?”’ “Well, now!’’ Much, plainly, was de- manded of him on this epoch-marking oc- casion, to which he did not feel himself rising adequately. There was a line—quite a visible line —in her forehead. ‘‘There’s a great hole in the heel, and you've had this sock only three months.’’ “Right! Part of my trousseau.’” ‘‘And—and how long have you been wearing socks?"’ He made swift calculation. years—yes, fifteen.”” “And they've worn through now and then?"’ ‘Lots of times, at the heel. spot—or theirs.’’ The line in her brow was a furrow. “Their weak spot—or yours! I've thought you Sir Galahad, but I wonder—I''—— “What?” “If you're only Achilles.”’ “Meaning thereby""— He was frankly puzzled. “The fatal flaw in the armor—the heel of Achilles.’” “Oh, dozen My weak He stared at her. can’t follow you.” She met his gaze coldly and reso- lutely. ‘*For a dozen years—no, fif- teen—you've worn holes in the heels of your socks. What then? Did you throw the socks away?’’ “Hardly! I'm no plutocrat."’ “Then you hired somebody to mend them?’’ He shook his head. ‘No; can’t recall any special payment."* “Yet they were mended?” “Of course. The sock fell to the floor. She sprang to her feet. She faced him, her eyes blazing, her shapely head proudly and defiantly erect. Love, so long undisturbed co-tenant of that pretty library, sidled toward the win- dow; a green-eyed imp was thrusting in at the door, ‘‘Edward Jones!"’ The man’s jaw sagged foran instant; then it came back with a sharp click of teeth against teeth. “Yes; I've always been able to fix it." He spoke deliberately, almost tauntingly. “Then some—some woman fixed it for you—some woman who—who made no charge for it!’ There was tragic anguish in her “T pall up. 1 TREATMENT FOR BORES Van Shortbilt—Ab! Now confess! Wouldn't you like to be a man? Miss Sxvift—Ot course! Wouldn't you? comicbooks.com