Judge, 1928-05-19 · page 13 of 36
Judge — May 19, 1928 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page features humorist Irvin S. Cobb's short story published in *Judge* magazine. The cartoon at top is a visual joke: a man at a dinner table announces he gets paid 25 cents per word, causing everyone around him to fall asleep (indicated by "Z Z Z" symbols)—the satire being that verbose storytellers are boring. Below, Cobb's actual story satirizes long-winded narratives through irony. He claims to tell a "short story" but opens with an unnecessarily elaborate introduction identifying a blacksmith named "Henry Lewis St. James Timothy Jackson" (the repetitive naming mocks verbose writing). The plot itself—a helper named Charlie deflecting his boss's question about a woman he was seen with by claiming "that wasn't any lady...that was my wife"—is a mild domestic joke. The satire works on multiple levels: Cobb is paid by the word while ironically promising brevity, and the story's padding demonstrates exactly what he's mocking about contemporary magazine writing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DONT SToP ME _ \F YoUVE HEARD ~ One BECAUSE T TWENW-FI’ j I centsn word, f }| YiKNow/ ¥ | —— My Favorite Short Story | By Irvin J. Kobb kienps, the Editor of this magazine has offered whistle blew Charlie got his hat and. stick me twenty-five cents a word to write my favorite going out the k door when old Henry wis St. story and, not wanting to take advant of him, James ‘Timothy Jackson called him back. “By the we and use up a lot of two-bit words on a long intro- Charlie.” he said, “I've got a question to ask you-and I duction, I'm going to start right off without one. don't just know how to start. I know that perhaps it About five years ago out in Walla Walla, Washington, isn’t any of my business, but just: the same, Charlie aman named Henry Lewis St. James Timothy Jackson, I've alw whom we will call’ for short, Henry Lewis St. s looked on you as a kind of son and T hope umes you will give me a truthful answer without any hard ‘Timothy Jackson, was running a blacksmith shop with feelings. w. Charlie, what 1} want to ask vou is this. the aid of a helper named Charlie Schwab. Well, one And, Charlie, I] want you to tell me just as frankly as d Henry Lewis St. James Timothy Jackson was you know how who that good-looking lady in the on heating up a piece of iron to make a bolt for the door hat was that 1 saw you with at the movies last night.” 4 when Charlie, who was looking out the door, said to “Well, Mr. Jackson,” replied Charlie “WL tell you | Henry Lewis S! ames Timothy Jackson, “Mr, : just how [ feel about it. I feel that that’s a fair ques | son,” he said, “Mr. Jackson, I wouldn't be at tion and that it deserves a fair answer. So Tam going prised if it was going to rain pretty soon.” | well, well, well, well, well, well I certainly will, Mr. Jacks “perhaps you're right, Charlie, perhaps you're right. Yes. sir. I certainly will, But before Ido, 1 want Yes, perhaps you're right, but here is this hunk of iron to know that T have sort of come to regard you all heated up, so get busy and hit it a couple of licks.” father and that’s the reason Tam going to tell y Hl. well, to play square with you and tell you all about it. Ye well,” replied his boss, sir, T certainly will. po what So Charlie picked up his sledge and began socking away vou want to know. Mr. Jackson, here's my answer. at the anvil, Clankety clank, clankety clank, clankety Frank and earnest and with no hard fee - No. sir, clank, clankety clank, clankety clank, clankety clank, no hard feelings at all. Mr. Jackson, that wasn’t any until the bolt was all finished and ready to be smoothed Jady you saw me with last night. No, sir, no, sir, Mr. off and thre: Well, to mak: H, at all, at Jackson, she was all, at all. Mr. ¥ ta lady at all, at all ackson, that was my w the o'clock when the five story short, comicbooks.com