Judge, 1918-02-02 · page 17 of 36
Judge — February 2, 1918 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
"The Treasure Trail" is a two-part page: a short story about a couple finding coins on a park path, and a political cartoon below. The **story** is a domestic comedy about Mr. and Mrs. Brown discovering money during their walk. The joke's twist: the "treasure" comes from a hole in Brown's own pocket. When he agrees to let his wife keep all future finds, she wins the bet—the money was always his. The **cartoon below** is sharper satire. It depicts "Uncle Sam" operating a carnival game labeled "W.S.S." (likely "War Savings Stamps"), with three caricatured heads visible—appearing to reference political figures like Hindenburg, the Kaiser, and "Little Willie" (the German Crown Prince). The pitch promises: "Combine business, duty and pleasure!—Twenty-five cents a shot...and you can't lose!" This mocks American WWI-era bond/savings drives as a rigged game where citizens are persuaded to "invest" in war efforts under the guise of patriotic duty and guaranteed returns—echoing the domestic story's bait-and-switch above it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WF OOK what I’ve found!” exclaimed Mrs. Brown as she stooped and picked a small coin from the side of the path. Brown and his wife lived near the back entrance to the park and on holidays and on Sunday when the weather was fine they took a morning stroll. It was their custom to get out early and follow secluded ways little frequented by the crowd. They had just started to retrace their steps toward home. “You are lucky,” said Brown, “but nothing like Iam in my sleep. My old stand-by dream is to pick up coins. First it’s a small silver piece then larger ones as I follow the trail left by some poor guy who has a hole in his pocket.” “Here's another,” fairly screamed the lady as she plucked a silver half-dollar from a soft place in the path. “It is your dream come true.” Then it was Brown’s turn. Just ahead he spied the yellow back of a respectable note. Both he and his wife hastened their steps and glued their eyes with fevered interest upon the ground. They met tvith success for quite a while with Mrs. Brown as the chief finder and Mr. Brown the immediate keeper. “Tt is lucky we are the first people out today,” said the head of the family as he crammed the treasure into his pocket. Finally, however, the luck waned and nothing of value could be gleaned from the path. The Treasure Trail By Latiten J. Witsox Your Uncle Sam—Step up, ladies and gentlemen! Twenty-five cents a shot—a quarter of a dollar—and you can’t lose! “Now whoever lost this money must have had a big hole in his pocket,” reasoned Mrs. Brown. “We were not looking at the ground with such expectations when we were farther back. Let’s return and see what we overlooked.” “Of course-we'll advertise it,” said Brown, honestly, “but it may not be claimed.” They had gone but a short distance when his wife’s keen eyes spotted more of the distributed wealth. It lay partly concealed at the side of the path. A “This is great,” said Brown with enthusiasm, “Keep it up. I'll agree to let you keep all you find from now on and I'll hold on to what is already in my pocket.- You may collect enough to get your new hat.” Mrs. Brown did not reply. She was apparently too ab- sorbed in the routine of plucking coins and paper during the rest of their brief ramble. The luck again failed when they had reached the limit of their previous journey. “Let’s see who has the most,” said Mrs. Brown beginning to count her accumulated wealth. Brown reached into his pocket and stood as though electrocuted by the sudden shock. “Mary!” he exclaimed, “that’s my own money! There’s a hole in my small side-pocket. You have only found what I lost.” “But it’s mine now,” rejoined his wife, “you yourself made the agreement.” Little Willie \ S 7 Combine business, duty and pleasure!—