Life, 1894-04-12 · page 5 of 14
Life — April 12, 1894 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Saved by a Pie" - Life Magazine, Page 237 This is a humorous sketch set at a Philadelphia Church Fair. Miss Rose Bud (a vendor) sells homemade goods to Mr. Jack Coupon from New York. The joke hinges on a transaction: Coupon purchases "kisses" for $5 each from Miss Autumn Leaf, who is described as "forty in the shade, paralyzingly ugly, and lives in Camden." The satire targets young men from New York who frequently attend Philadelphia social events, suggesting they rarely escape such awkward situations. The moral explicitly states this is commentary on the vulnerability of out-of-town visitors to local schemes. The lower illustrations show slapstick consequences—apparently the pie somehow "saves" Coupon from an embarrassing encounter, though the exact mechanism remains unclear from the text alone. This reflects early 20th-century satirical humor about regional stereotypes and social commerce.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: SAVED BY A PIE. SCENE-A PHILADELPHIA CHURCH FAIR. SPEAKING CHARACTERS: Miss Rose Bub, - + = = of Philadelphia. MR. JACK Coupon, - - ee of New York. THINKING PARTS: Miss AUTUMN LEAF, - 7 - —s7 Dospson, - - - - - - ISS ROSE BUD: Now, Mr. Coupon, what are you going to buy at my table? We have home-made doughnuts, wash-cloths, tidies and aprons. I am sure you want some of each. Mr. Coupon: Oh, thanks, awfully; have you any d¢sses for sale? Miss R. B.: Certainly; five dollars each ; how many will you have ? MR. J. C. (handing out the money): V'll take two, good measure, please. Miss R. B. (with a@ seraphic smile): Oh, yes, we are particular about that. Miss Autumn Leaf, will you deliver two kisses to Mr. Coupon. (Miss Autumn Leaf ts forty in the shade, paralyzingly ugly, and lives in Camden.) Mr. J. C.: You are more than kind. Dobson, (turning to his colored valet who is carrying his parcels) just take this purchase from Miss Autumn Leaf. CURTAIN. The moral of this little drama is, that the fin de stécle young man from New York rarely gets left, even at a Phila- delphia Church Fair. ROFESSOR: Is there any greater authority on hero- worship than Carlyle ? Miss Vassar: Yes, one. Leander. comicbooks.com