Judge, 1916-08-05 · page 13 of 28
Judge — August 5, 1916 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a romantic short story rather than a political cartoon. The narrative depicts four young wealthy people at a seaside resort ("Low-Neck-by-the-Sea") in what appears to be the early 20th century. **The Plot:** Two engaged couples—Bessie & Jack, Tessie & Harry—initially seem perfectly matched. When a disagreement arises over activities (Jack wants to motor; Bessie prefers tennis), Tessie opportunistically sides with Jack, and they drive off together. The illustration shows them departing as a motorcar, leaving their original partners behind. **The "Inconstancy":** The title refers to the fickleness of the young people's affections. Jack and Tessie use a fake mechanical excuse to stop the car and kiss, revealing they've been secretly coordinating to cheat on their engaged partners. **Context:** The story satirizes the leisure-class morality and casual infidelity among wealthy young people, playing on anxieties about modern dating, automobiles enabling secret rendezvous, and the superficiality of romantic commitments among the wealthy. The motorcar—a relatively new technology—enables this moral transgression.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE By J. ESSIE AND BESSIE, Harry and Jack were a happy quartette and two blissful pairs among a multitude at Low-Neck-by-the-Sea. Other chaps and dam- sels were paired, in accord with summer usage, but none were as constant and satisfied with one another, with each other, and with everything about them as these. The four had been together for weeks and had made up their minds that as pairs and as friends they should remain forever and a day, Bessie was Jack's fiancée and Tessie was Harry’s; and their spirits were like the weather, which had continued glorious so long that local wiseacres shook their heads and predicted some atmospheric convulsion as a sequel. Up to a certain day Bessie and Jack had agreed perfectly upon diversion. No such thing as time-killing was thought of, for the hours flew magically, and moonlight evenings had charms that brilliant days could not surpass. And Tessie and Harry were as mutual. If it happened that Tessie wished to motor or golf, Harry coincided happi or if Bessie expressed a desire to go out in a motor boat, Jack at once sent for his craft. And there were times when all four were of one mind. Jack and Harry cach had a motor boat, a canoe, a motor car, and plenty of the sinews of joyous activity vulgarly called money. On this certain day, however, when Jack suggested motoring Bessie said she wanted to play tennis. Strangely, Tessie also wanted to motor, while Harry was for canocing. Long at evens, they now were at odds. But proverbs presumed to have been based upon human conduct down the ages verify such things. Jack still insisted upon motoring. At the moment it seemed that his insistence made Bessie determined not to motor. Harry stood aloof, having expressed his preference. ‘Vessie INCONSTANT SUMMER WALDRON caught more of Jack’s mood and declared that she would motor with him if Bessie remained of an opposing mind—and, of course, if Jack cared to have her along. That settled it. Bessie’s eyes snapped, and Harry turned his back. So Tessie and Jack entered the latter's long, low, rakish car, after due preparation, and shot away, never even turning their heads. Bessie, seemingly forgetting her tennis desire, strolled down toward the boat house, and Harry came after, with his paddle Jack drove his motor in silence, yet at speed, until the hotel vicinity was lost and something like seclusion was found. Then he slowed down. “Well?” he queried, peering into Te “Well?” she replied roguishly. “Ripping! Wasn't it managed well? mean. You're the cleverest girl I ever knew “Ts that all?” She looked at him with a tantalizing pout. “Only the beginning. You're also the dearest, the swe sie’s Your part in it, I ” “$-s-s-h! Not so fast! Am I not still engaged to Harry?” ‘That's only an irrelevant formality, Engagements are made to be broken. Hello! I’ve got a sooted spark plug!” He stopped the machine. He didn’t have a sooted spark plug. He simply had an excuse. Before he got out, in line with his subterfuge, he looked up and down the road and found a clear right of way for the subsequent proceeding. He put an arm about Tessie and kissed her without ado. And kissed him back. After a bit, the spark plug being forgotten, the machine started slowly. “I don’t believe cither of them suspected a thing!” said ie. “No. I've been acting for days and da: Tes just as I told you comicbooks.com