Judge, 1916-12-23 · page 17 of 32
Judge — December 23, 1916 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a serialized romantic comedy story rather than a political cartoon. The narrative follows a young man named Paul visiting his sweetheart Polly at her home, where he's initially frightened by what appears to be mysterious voices—only to discover they're being produced by a parrot concealed behind a window curtain. The humor derives from Paul's embarrassment and confusion, Polly's playful teasing, and the mild romantic tension between them (including references to Paul "punishing" Polly with kisses). The dialogue reflects period attitudes toward courtship and gender dynamics typical of early 20th-century American magazine humor. The framing illustration shows two domestic scenes: women at a doorway, and a man being fooled by the ventriloquist's parrot trick. There's no identifiable political satire—this is entertainment content designed for Judge magazine's readership.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Your father tells me he beat you at golf today.” IT ALL! Ain't there — never to be no will nor no THE n this here schooner but yourn? | Allays Jack Taron the [L bridge an’ the Cap'n in the forecastle?” “Who is that?” whispered Paul, scuttling back to his own corner of the sofa. “Land sakes alive! Not even fust mate, ben’t I? But if 1 can’t box the compass, I can box my old man’s ears.” “Who is that?” asked Paul aloud, but with his ejaculation the cackling laugh stopped in mid-carcer. The silence following was not like that en- chanted hush in which the lovers had sat for what the prosaic clock marked off as forty minutes. This was an uncanny silence, laden with something secret and profane. Polly dimpled at the blankness of Paul's look. “You're scared, my hero,” she teased, “but they ar’n’t so bad,—Captain Joel Gibbs and Mrs. Gibbs. Come in, Achilles, and I'll introduce you.” By that roseleaf touch on his brown fist Paul would have let himself be drawn into Vesuvius, but he could not restrain an- other start when, braced for his best bow, he found that the back sitting-room into which he had been conducted was empty. FAIRY DS TCT By KATHERINE LBE RATES “T always let him beat me when I'm short of funds, mother.” , not quite,” laughed Polly. GODMOTHER {| The afternoon light was already soft 5 with shadow, but Paul peered about him valiantly till his eyes suddenly met the glare of a parrot, whose perch was half concealed by a window-curtain. “Oho! Ventriloquist, are you, Poll? What a jolly row you kicked up, all by yourself! Still the parrot glared. blandishments. Want your rainbow noddle scratched? The deuce you don’t! Whew, but she nipped my finger! Polly, you should teach your demon manners.” “Which demon?” “Your namesa “T'll bite, too After Polly had been duly punished for this, a punishment that left her cheeks pinker than ever, Paul deposited her in a deep Morris chair, establishing himself on the arm as jailer. “You don’t get out till you ‘fess, Goldylocks. What baleful mystery is here? How did yonder weird bird from the Moun- tains of the Moon fly into a Massachusetts parsonage? How, when, why was this? Tell me quick or I will ——” top! I’m telling. When I was a teeny gir_——”" “Day before yesterday.” LO Paul, queerly embarrassed, tried comicbooks.com