Judge, 1915-11-06 · page 7 of 28
Judge — November 6, 1915 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This story satirizes the contradictions between romantic idealism and practical reality. Helen, a chorus girl, rejects Joe's marriage proposal despite his wage increase, hoping for a wealthier suitor (the "Prince" with a castle). When Joe threatens to starve himself over her refusal, Helen panics—not from love, but from understanding (as a chorus girl familiar with hunger) the real consequences of starvation. The punchline mocks both characters: Joe's dramatic threat proves hollow when he immediately eats at a nearby lunch counter, exposing his theatrical posturing. Helen's sudden devotion reveals she values food security over affection. The cartoon at top likely continues this theme of male inconsistency or romantic pretense. The satire targets working-class romantic conventions and the gap between emotional declarations and actual behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Freddie—Ya-as, 1m thinkin’ of goi beggars. fayetts—aw—kissed my great-gran’mother, y’ know, or some bally thing like that. Des in her heart Helen really cared for Joe, but she wasn’t quite ready to admit it. She was a chorus girl in a Broad- way show; he was a drug clerk in a Broadway store at a salary of $15 a week. Joe was hard- working and sincere in his love for her, but Helen wasn’t so. sure, She might be willing to forget him if the Prince came along and offered her a castle in Spain or Fifth Avenue. Stranger things than that have happencd to chorus girls, you know. On her way home from the matinée one day Helen dropped in to the drug store for a chat with Jo and a free sample of Foam- at-the-Mouth tooth powder. She had al- ready had cight samples, which fact again proves that advertising invariably pays somebody. over an’ joinin’ the Foreign Legion. Alice—Why ? THE INCONSISTENCY OF MAN By BIDE DUDLEY Toe greeted her with joy bordering on rapture. “Listen, Helen,” he said, “I’m to be raised a dollar a week soon. Will you marry me?” The possible Prince loomed up in Helen’s mind immediately. “No,” she replied. “I'm net ready to get married. Stop bothering me about that, Joc!” Fifty times she had said the same thing to him and Joe was getting tired of it. “Just for that,” he said fiercely, “I shall quit cating. If you ist in your attitude I shall die of starvation.” He had read the expression in a paper-back novel. “Pooh!” was Helen’s rejoinder. “Pooh or no pooh,” came from Joe, “it goes.” Helen tucked her sample of Foam- at-the-Mouth in her hand-bag and swished out scornfully. She looked the living image of “Pooh.” Freddle—Gad! 1 rawther owe it to the A block away she stopped. A sudden fear had come over her. Suppose Joc should keep his word! As has been stated in this little narrative, Helen was a chorus girl. Being a chorus girl, she was intimately acquainted with the values of food; also with the horrible results of an absence of it. The sudden fear stuck to her. “Joe die of hunger!” she murmured. “Oh, I mustn’t let him! I'll hurry back and promise to be his.” ’ She entered the drug store breathlessly. Joe was nowhere to be seen. The proprietor was behind the counter, however, and she approached him. “Where’s Joe?” she asked in a tone that spelled anguish. “Joe,” he replied carelessly. “Oh, he got hungry and went into Clancy’s place next door for some free lunch.” Some men are married to hush money. comicbooks.com