Judge, 1923-06-23 · page 17 of 36
Judge — June 23, 1923 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a serialized story illustrated with comic panels about a young woman named Susanne who encounters a mysterious, charming stranger ("Theodore") at a casino. The narrative warns against her fascination with this unknown man, as her concerned aunts previously advised against such entanglements. The story resolves with dramatic irony: Susanne flees the casino for her aunts' villa, only to discover that "Theodore"—the very man she was becoming dangerously attached to—is actually their new butler, a Russian servant. This twist undercuts any romantic possibilities and reinforces the aunts' moral lesson about propriety. The page also includes unrelated satirical cartoons: one about poker winnings and marital dynamics, another titled "The unbreakable comb," and a brief exchange about a "cute traveling salesman." These reflect Judge's typical format mixing serialized fiction with standalone humor reflecting early 20th-century social attitudes toward courtship, class boundaries, and gender relations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
T just isan," ts. Smith. ble for usannc ds her e went ay of old lene illus- as the where, could racter habit | itself ion. rguc d her, *, and L toa ening there esort, than bouts They ossip. ality. aunts th in ulti- ener imed “If enely mught ssing silly, fter was seing then a novel. Dancing, with occasional tennis, served her as exercise. T THE Casino there was that re- laxation from former social exacti- tudes in evidence One even- ing $ as caught t the appearance and the dancing of a di tinguished looking strang: There something attrac : All women seemed anxious to dance with him. The younger chaps about—‘bc Susanne called them—were impossible by comparison. This stranger never appeared until late in the evening. Without introdue- tion, or any knowledge of him, Susanne, accepted him as in common with others. a partner. And every evening after their first. contact ine awaited his coming. Conversation was a bit em- barrassed by their mutual ignorance of names, “What I call you?” asked one evening. “Your name, please!” “You may call me Theodore.” “But—I mean your other name!” Susanne secret for the present. And Vt know your name, Miss!” rdinary. Smith.” » are many Smiths, but not commonplac “But [ told 4 Theodore continued the gentleman. His wide knowledge, his gifts as a con- versationalist, and his respectful attitude fascinated her. Suddenly Susanne real- ized that she was on dangerous ground. All at once she felt a poignant homesick- ness and a desire to see her aunts. She now remembered their admonitions with no antagonism. In this mood she received a letter from Jane and Mary asking her to dinner at the vill They might have tele- phoned her, but they were given to formality. The letter was affectionate. a STRATEGY “Do you give your wife part of the money you win at poker?” “Yes, excepting when she’s very angry at my being out so late. Then I give her all of it.” Mer ~ — Ghos3 The unbreakable comb. Susanne at once called Jane on the phone. “['m coming to have dinner with you and Aunt Mary this evening, and I thank you both. I wonder if I could really come home ? tired of this hotel!” “That's fine!” So Susanne hur- riedly packed her things and went to the villa. She was grected with open arms. She went in to dinner with her aunts. 15 “We left John and Sarah in the town house,” said Jane. “We have a new chef and a new butler here. They are Russians, and the chef is a wonder. You shall see. This dinner will be a treat after your hotel fare.” “And we think both of the new servants ts,” said Mary. id Jane. ou know there and princesses in service are “Yes are even princes here now.” The butler came in with the hors dwuvres. We was Theodore, the fasci- nating stranger of the Casino. St “You look awfully tired to-night, dear. Did you have a hard day?” “Yes, I watched ’em lose two games.” Prd “Tillie, T understand that_ you were unable to work yesterday. What was it; acute indigestion?” “No; a cute traveling salesman.”