Judge, 1916-07-22 · page 13 of 28
Judge — July 22, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a romantic comedy story (not a political cartoon) from Judge magazine. The narrative concerns a newlywed couple: Mrs. Teddy Rangeley convinces her husband Teddy to let her vacation at Broad Beach while he remains in town, with promises he'll visit weekends. The humor derives from typical marital dynamics of the era: the wife's initial jealousy about her husband's independence, their reconciliation through affection, and the ironic setup that follows. Mrs. Rangeley quickly becomes absorbed in social activities (particularly Auction Bridge, a card game) at the resort, progressively neglecting correspondence with Teddy—moving from long love letters to short notes to none at all within days. The illustration shows an inverted perspective: Teddy appears at top (outside looking in), while Mrs. Rangeley is shown below absorbed in leisure activities, suggesting the reversal of their expected roles and concerns. The "mistake" appears to be Mrs. Rangeley's assumption that separation would be difficult, when she actually adapts quite readily to independent life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
EDDY’S By J. A. MISTAKE WALDRON HY DO YOU want to get rid of me tor a month?” Mrs. Teddy Rangeley pouted. Teddy had been trying to induce her to run down to the shore. “I've heard that married men invariably like to be free in town in the summer. And though you did love me dearly for a time, I find that honeymoons don’t last!” Her pout grew almost to facial disfiguration, though she was a very pretty woman, They had been married going on a year, “You're not well, dearest. I know it. You're positively pale,” replied Teddy, kissing her solicitously. He had taken her in his arms before she concluded her reflection upon hus- bands and honeymoons. “I shall have to insist upon your seeing Dr. Jones if you don’t take a vacation and get some color. And you know, darling, what awful medicines Dr. Jones prescribes.” “I'd be willing to go, perhaps, darling’—the pout disap- peared while she kissed him back—‘if you'd promise me— faithfully, mind—to come down for the week-ends.” “You're a silly person about some things ar one, after all. Do you think I could stand it away from you more than three or four days at a time? Of course I'll run down for the week-ends!”” very week—surely?” “Nothing can keep me awa And fresh kisses sealed it. Mrs. Rangeley started the next Monday for Broad Keach, and wired ‘eddy of her safe arrival. Tuesday morning she wrote him a long, long letter, telling him how dearly she loved him, Tuesday afternoon she struck up acquaintance with three women who, strangely enough, were as fond of Auction Bridge as she was. Wednesday she wrote a short letter during a Bridge inter- val, and cautioned Teddy to remember that he to come down on Saturday. Thursday she didn’t get time to write and didn’t think it necessary, for she received two letters from Teddy, one belonging to Tuesday and mailed so late it came with the one written Wednesday. ‘I wonder what Teddy is doing?” she thought. But forgetting it she re- sumed the game. Broad Beach’s chief hotel hasall the advantagesof the higher civilization combined with some features of shore and country. The railway runs directly into its grounds on one side. A bathing beach is on the other front. Immediately on the two remaining sides are semblances of a truly rural neighborhood, somewhat artificial, but running into groves and the like com- paratively unsophisticated. ‘The windows of Mrs. Rangeley’s suite looked out and down upon one of these sides, which in the foreground presented a lily pond—called Lake Constance, probably with an idea that love-makers might select the v ity—seen through shrubbery which stopped near the pond and grew thicker toward actual woods. Mrs. Rangeley watched for the first train Saturday morn- ing, but did not see her Teddy. He was a passenger, but had comicbooks.com