Life, 1886-12-30 · page 6 of 19
Life — December 30, 1886 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Tale of a Christmas Dinner" This comic strip depicts a humorous misunderstanding between two men meeting in the woods. One man calls out to arrange a Christmas dinner meeting at "Brown's," mentioning he'll bring the turkey and handle cooking. The other man, thinking he's been hailed by name, responds accordingly. Both men then search for each other, each believing the other has failed to show. When they finally encounter one another, confusion erupts—each accuses the other of not calling or showing up. The situation escalates into a physical fight beneath a tree. The joke hinges on the classic comedic trope of miscommunication: two people talking past each other due to mishearing or misinterpretation, leading to absurd consequences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
416 A DELIGHTFUL STUDY. E was examining the lines of her hand, and her future, as he drew it, was full of dazzling lines. “Ah, George,” she said when he had finished, “how de- lightful this study of psalmistry is.” *LIFE: EXCUSABLE. URING the month of November the contributions to the Grant monument fund amounted to $4. But in justice to the American people it must be borne in mind that there are only thirty days in November. THE TALE OF A CHRISTMAS DINNER. “Well, that’s a go—you find the whis- key, I find the turkey, and Brown does the cooking, etc.” “0, K,we meet at Brown's, six sharp.’- “T didn’t call.” “*/ certainly did not.” “Yes, you did!” ‘No, I didn't!” “You're a ——!" ‘You're another!” “ Humph ! very strange ; I would have taken my oath he hailed me.” “Tam, am 12" Each thinks the other has hailed him. ‘Tramp calls out again. “He certainly called that time.” The row thickens, and tramp departs. comicbooks.com