Judge, 1916-06-10 · page 6 of 28
Judge — June 10, 1916 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This humorous story satirizes early 20th-century suburban neighbors and their peculiar social dynamics. Tom and Mrs. Munson adopt a stray dog and hen, becoming neighborhood pariahs when the dog proves disruptive—barking constantly and dangerously chasing automobiles (then novel and frightening). The satire targets several targets: the rigid, judgmental conformity of suburban communities who shun neighbors over minor nuisances; the fashionable use of animal welfare organizations (the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals") as social solutions; and the irony that the couple regains acceptance only after the dog dies in a motorcycle accident—tragic circumstances proving more socially acceptable than neighborly charity. The automobile subplot adds period detail: cars were still exotic enough to inspire fear and hostility in animals and people alike. The bottom cartoon (unrelated) appears to be a separate joke about an unwilling bachelor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“What in heaven’s name shall with them?" asked Mrs. Munson. “Wait a minute,” replied Tom. face of his wife's pro- test, he cut a generous piece from the clothes line and tied the pup to the clothes pole. “We'll put the hen in the cellar. Then Vil get dressed and see if I can find the owners.” among It was Sunday. Tom spent all ¢ the houses that fringed the horizon, and returned weary and out of sorts. “Well?” queried Mrs. Munson, put out because she had waited dinner. “Nobody seems to own cither the hen or the dog. We shall have to keep them, I suppose. Great applause from the children. “T went down cellar several times to look at the hen, id Mrs. Munson, “and I heard her make a qucer noise. Come and see if you can tell what it means.” . Tom went with her and_ listened. “Why, that’s a cluck. She wants to sit on eggs.” “And hatch chickens?” “Of course.” “Well, then this is providential.””. And the next morning Mrs. Munson called up her grocer and asked for enough fresh eggs—strictly fresh eggs—for what she described as “‘a hen’s sitting.” The eggs came, and the hen happily settled upon them and took nourishment as often as it was offered, that being very fre- quently. The pup kept them awake most of the night with his amazing bark. In the morning he developed a peculiar eccentricity. Whenever an automobile passed—and autos kept passing—he ran in front of it, no matter how fast it was going, and tried to frighten it. And we do In the decently the neighbors looked out of windows and wished that something might happen. Within three days there was a round- robin protest against the pup, and within a week all the neighbors stopped speaking to cither Tom or Mrs. Munson. It was get- ting lonely, except for the pup. “We can’t live on bad terms with every- body,” said Mrs. Munson, at breakfast one morning. at dog is a fiend. You don't know as much about him as I do, for you are in town all day. Why don’t you send to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals? They always know what to jo with a dog. Tom demurred, but finally adopted the idea. He sent a notice to the Societ The Society was prompt. Its wagon, with uni. formed attendants, was at his door when he got home the next afternoon. But the pup was missing. While the Society persons were saying they couldn't take time to look up dogs that had strayed, a boy came running up. “Mister Munson,” he cried, “your dog is dead.” “Dead? What? How?” “Why, he was chasin’ a motorcycle down on the highway—I mean he was runnin’ ahead of it—an’ the fellow speeded up.” “And what happened?” “Why, the man was thrown more'n a rod, his machine was busted, and your dog was run over and got mixed with a wheel. The attendants of the Ly, well dressed and usually affable, became abusive at Tom for summoning them on a fool's errand, and started their ambulance back to town. Tom and Mrs. Munson during the three weeks that the hen was attending to the reinstated themselves after a fashion with the community. But the neighbors began to act suspiciously when it was nvised about that Tom was building a chicken coop on Bachelor (semi-conscious, rescued by large unmarried lady Chuck me back again, fellows, durned if I'll marry her. comicbooks.com