Judge, 1918-10-12 · page 23 of 32
Judge — October 12, 1918 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents dialogue snippets from theatrical productions, likely from 1917-1918 based on the WWI references. The sketches satirize contemporary concerns: **"Fiddlers Three"** jokes about marital uncertainty—a bachelor assumes bachelorhood is safe, but a married man cynically notes mail (likely divorce or separation notices) can change that. **"Where Poppies Bloom"** contains espionage references: characters debate whether enemy agents ("Fritzie"—slang for Germans) have tapped their communications wire. The humor comes from one character dismissing the possibility while another insists on investigating anyway—reflecting wartime paranoia about spies. **"Under Orders"** shows a soldier and woman discussing a mark she'll make on his body so she can verify whether he's grown taller upon his return from the trenches, mixing dark humor with the emotional reality of wartime separation and mortality. The page reflects public anxieties: romantic instability, enemy infiltration fears, and the psychological toll of trench warfare on soldiers and their loved ones.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
(Right) Lecarpe: Oh, of course you necdn’t worry, now thatyou’re a bachelér. But I've gota wife. ¢ Henry: Better wait till the mail comes before you're so cock- sure you've gota wife. I thought that, too, till the last mail. From “Fippters Taree” Reccie: Oh, very well. Nooffense meant, y’ know. Anyone is likely to make mistakes. That’s why they have those funny little rubbers on pencils. From “Wnert Popries Boom” Do you get that bu And all that . jumble? By George, I’ve an idea! Brocuter: A ground wire? “Might be—might be a tapped wire.” “Tapped by whom?” “Who do you think? Why, Fritzie, of course.” “Butthatcouldnotbe. “Allright, butif you ask me, I’m going to findout.” “But our wire does not go near their lines.” “Never heard of a little thing called spies, did you?” From “Wuere Popries Broom” From “Unper Orvers” You darling, I know. You want to put a mark there, so when | come back you'll know whether I’ve grown any more in the trenches. comicbooks.com