Judge, 1922-01-28 · page 8 of 36
Judge — January 28, 1922 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Two Lots" and "In Our House": Stories of Family Life **"Two Lots"** by Katherine Negley contrasts two mothers' lives through narrative and comic panels. One mother—tired, poor, with many children—struggles through domestic chaos: quarreling daughters, wrestling twins, a teething baby. Her sister Sarah enjoys wealth, beauty, and leisure (with a Pekingese dog and alimony). Yet the story's point is class-conscious irony: the exhausted mother finds contentment in her "happy, healthy family," while implying Sarah's luxuries are hollow. The comic strips show neighborhood children making childhood deals—trading dimes for pie, haggling over movie dates—depicting working-class urban youth. **"In Our House"** by Karl H. Rogers is a humorous poem about domestic health contradictions: the mother restricts herself to vegetables while gaining weight; the father, gouty and forbidden rich foods, watches helplessly as his wife gains a pound daily while he "fades away." The satire targets ineffective dieting and domestic irony—sacrifice producing opposite results. Both pieces reflect early 20th-century anxieties about class, family, health, and women's roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Two Lots By Katherine Negley OTHER sighed. It was the eve- ning of a hard day at the end of a hard week Virginia was dressing to go out with her very first beau. She was not quite sixteen, and it seemed but yesterday when she was a baby, their first baby. Mother would have been pleased to keep her a little girl a short time longer, but if the time had come for boys, and she was not allowed to go with them, she would meet them on street corners, mother knew. so it was better to hold her as close as she could Loren could not find his lavender socks. He could never find anything ‘Lo, Timmie, listen! I “Gee! just got a dime How Joe would ya like to get a pie with me? “That'll be nice. “Tie the can to this guy, an’ I'll blow ya to the movies I got a_ die.” quarter.” { ar = wv “Hey, Timmie! You! Hoo! Come here. I lar. want to tell ya some- thin’. “I'm sorry, Joe, but I had this date with Fred- “I just got a half a dol- How about seeing a show with me?” “So long, Freddie!” around that house. He was nervous, for he had just been ad- mitted into the town band, and he wanted to look as well as the older boys and be dressed as well Mollie and Sarah were quarrel- ing about the dishes. They were always quarreling about the dishes. The twins had been wrestling, and the wrestling match had turned into a scuffle. The baby was crying. He was cutting his eye teeth, his last teeth, and he was their last baby. so mother must be patient At last all was quiet. Mother stretched her tired body on the cool sheets She thought of her I'm glad we met, “Hey, Timmie! “Gosh, that must be one o° them 9\ “7 gs Za I got somethin’ to tell ya.” week.” = es | Sees “They got the cowboy picture, ‘neverthing this “All you have to do is to get fifty cents.” police dogs!” hard life and the easy time her sister Sarai always had, with her beauty, money, divorce, ali- mony, Pekingese, and every- thing. Mother had nothing The next morning she was rested. The family slept a little longer than usual, be- cause it was Sunday. The baby crowed in his crib. One by one the family awoke. Mother thought there was nothing so sweet as the noise of a happy. healthy family in the morning They were all there, and they were all well Oh, well, let anyone have beauty. money, divorce, ali mony, Pekingese dogs, and such things, that wanted them Mother was content. In Our House By Karl H. Rogers Y mother waddles when sine walks In our house: And so at fattening foods she balks In our house. Potatoes, bread and juicy meats Are things she never, never cats— We live on spinach, squash anid beets In our house. My father’s laid up with the gout In our house. A dreadful thing to have about In our house. He dassen’t touch a scrap of meat Or anything that’s good and sweet— They'reserving nothing fit toeat In our house. I wonder what they're driving at In our house. Pa can't eat this—Ma won't cat that In our house. Andyet Ma gains a pound a day, And Daddy's gout is here to stay; While T am fading fast away In our house.