Judge, 1915-01-16 · page 17 of 24
Judge — January 16, 1915 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several short humorous pieces typical of early-to-mid 20th century Judge magazine: **"A Reasonable Theory?"** depicts a labor negotiation where a desperate worker seeks employment; the cartoon satirizes economic hardship and job scarcity. **"Wouldn't Waste Ammunition"** is a racist dialect story featuring "Rastus," a formerly enslaved Black man who fails to shoot a deer, offering an excuse in exaggerated speech. This reflects the magazine's period use of racist caricature and minstrelsy-style humor targeting Black Americans. **"Victoria's Vanity Box"** is a poem about a woman's cosmetics collection, gently mocking female vanity while somewhat indulgently celebrating it. **"Boyhood"** and **"Sympathetic"** are brief anecdotes—one about a child eating a toad on a dare, another about a tramp's interaction with a farm wife—offering mild domestic humor. The illustrations accompany these pieces with period-appropriate pen-and-ink sketches. The content reflects Judge's satirical but often stereotypical approach to working-class life, gender, and race.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A REASONABLE THEORY? Boss—No; we have all the men we need. Laborer—Seems like you could take one more, the little bit of work I'd do. “‘Why—why, Fretty!’ he gasped. ‘I— r— “*No such thing!’ she snapped. And then she kissed him a dozen times, as if she liked him, interspersed with crying. And he snuggled up to her, like he felt safe. “Nacher'ly I scooted. When they came downstairs, they both thanked me very proper for my kindness. As they started off, the last thing I heard the desperate character say was, ‘I'll fix that gate hinge the first thing in the morning, Fretty!’ “T'll bet the cigars you don’t!’ says I to myself."” Wouldn’t Waste Ammunition LONEL SMITH, of Mississippi, before the war, had an old negro, of the family-pet, pampered, privileged-character variety, who teased hi. master for a breech- loading, double-barreled shotgun, which had just come into vogue. The master humored the old man by giv- ing him the coveted firearm. “Now,"’ said the colonel, ‘‘l want you to killa deer with this gun. I'll put you on astand near a runway, and the boys and I will drive a deer past fer you to shoot."" “T sure will git dat misto deer—he-hee- e-e-e-e!"" boasted Rastus. The arrangements were completed, and after half an hour or so’s beating, a mag- nificent buck came plunging out of the brush, antlers covered with vines and twigs from his hasty flight through the under- growth. Prostrated with ‘*buck-fever,"’ Rastus never even aimed the piece or pulled the trigger. A few minutes later the colonel came up and asked indignantly, ‘Why in the world didn’t you shoot?’’ “Well, yo’ see, Marse Cunnel, when dat dah buck come by whah I's at, he was a-jumpin’ so high an’ a-lightin’ so hahd, yo'll fine ’im layin’ dead somewhah clost, anyhow.”” = Strickland Gillitan, Victoria’s Vanity Box HEREVER the lovely Victoria goes, She carries a vanity box, Which she opens invariably after a dance And always most carefully locks; But stealing behind her, ] ventured to peep O’er her shoulder so pinkily fair, And saw in the scented receptacle all The secrets she guards with such care. A mirror, a vial of costly perfume, A pencil to darken her eyes, A very small silver-topped bottle of rouge, Quite frequently used, I surmise; A lipstick of carmine, a hairpin or two, A powder puff, fluffy and fine, And a picture—and, oh! I forgive her the rest, For the"face in the picture Min Boyhood Mamma—And you actually ate a little toad? What in the world made you do so? Little Lester Livermore—Willie Kickover bet I dassn’t. s mine. a Irving. Sympathetic “It's pretty hard to sleep on an empty stomach,"’ said the tramp wearily to the hustling farmer's wife. “Why, you poor fellow!"? she replied sympathetically. ‘‘Why don’t you turn over and sleep on your back for a little while? Ye hain’t wore it out lyin’ on it, hev ye?”" . RM) \\ KA) \\ INTERCEPTED MESSAGE comicbooks.com