Life, 1905-03-02 · page 32 of 44
Life — March 2, 1905 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a humorous short story comic titled "I'm Scissors at Nullus" featuring a tramp (vagrant) who encounters a farmer named Gibson. The narrative depicts their breakfast conversation where Gibson offers the tramp food—ham, bread, strawberries—while sharing historical anecdotes about Cromwell and Shakespeare. **The joke's point:** The tramp repeatedly hints he'd like more food, particularly strawberries. When Gibson mentions his wife wants strawberries "on top" of breakfast, the tramp eagerly accepts—only to have Gibson accidentally drop the ham into coals. The "pirate's little joke" (the story's subtitle) is Gibson's gleeful trick of promising abundant food while ultimately serving less. **Social context:** This satirizes the contrast between rural plenty and vagrant poverty during the early 20th century. The tramp represents the era's homeless population, while Gibson embodies rural self-sufficiency (homegrown strawberries). The page also contains period advertisements for Wilson Whiskey and Hunter Rye whiskey, typical of Life's revenue model.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“It's a late breakfast. I don't never eat lunch— tinless Tecan get it.” “Well, you're making up for it te Ja half of that ham.” be a pound a “T wish there was two! said the tramp, fer ly. “There, I guess it’s about done now. Wi bite id Gibson, “but my looks good, set up and have Much for me a HISTORICAL TITBITS of 1wo bricks evidently con O. Cromwell was a witty man, of hin open newspaper sliced yx . their turn, A loaf of bread and a quart box of fine waitin) Who ained coffee, and on wai strawberri ased beside the sre Water the remarked with Gibson cleared the wall wit “Hello! ns myself on my el «the tramp, indistinetiy, between bit 1 know but what © more than i: wound |] sh war is Hell, let each to buy ‘em: still, Ti the extry esjense “TL sce, Do you raise yo called Shakespeare you hear poratocs, “he dexterously rote himself? T tried to find spearing {his « knife and conveying them to his mouth Gibson smiled. “Strawberries from your own with care, and found with n> he continued, in the same ve heen dead six years. He'd Well, as to them berries, I wouldn't exactly a 1 growed ‘em myself. I picked “em, though.” Me an of coffee. “I's ag eciatively. “There ain't he continued, lackin as long as Time—this is waistcoat pocket a cigar Tt was th rele where the Flying Fishes play, cant to si after his own dinner 1 yellow out of China ‘cross but he was scized wit sented it to the tramp. \ meal w Gibson all thr r newt sl aceepted the tra , My dear,” he said to Mrs. ye Wrote “Frenzied Finance’ in a week—such courage know what Ud like? Some broiled ever fail nicely broiled, —with warmed-over potatoes; and 1 should like to top off with strawberries.” lears, whatever be your That's just exactly what you will \k fast to-morrow cried Mrs. ight : edly. 2 glad Mve got 1 wil ido not go . . enjoy. There's a nice slice fo or wtiie anbook THE PIRATE'S LITTLE JOKE. At this an st exeit the PCTS WHINE THE ERA Ve room, "Mrs, Gib pet F $ Eka DROPFING OFF TO SLEEP IN THE MMDST OF THES INTRRESTE: pne out of the refrij It couldn't have b rece the strawberries is gone, too, av th ; the sm Seely P above —- I'd sliced to fry for breakfast!” | way sta he di his duet find q } dropped the ham on the coals, kind of a . el the smoke, Ashe 1 erush uch ablers and + an agree Gibson, “Pick up your SNIDE LIGHTS ON HISTORY 1 Newsdealers in Great Br 's Building, Chancery Lane, London, EF, C., F WILSON WHISKEY That’s All! , favor periority in quality, pu Sold at all first-class cafes and by jobbers WM. LANAHAN & SON, Baltimore, Md. “BEGINS RIGHT, ENDS RIGHT, 1S RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.” —NEW YORK CENTRIL. comicbooks.com