Life, 1912-07-18 · page 25 of 44
Life — July 18, 1912 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is the opening of a short story by Thomas L. Masson, not primarily a political cartoon. The illustration depicts a rural or small-town American setting with domestic buildings and figures. The story satirizes workplace dynamics and employer hypocrisy. Bessel, a business owner, arrives at his office irritable after a late night of poker and excessive cigars. He immediately berates his employees—particularly Johnson—for poor performance and tardiness, demanding they work harder. The satire emerges when Bessel immediately undercuts his authority by complaining about his own problems: his sister's unwelcome visit from the countryside forces him to leave early. The humor targets the boss's inconsistency—he demands dedication from workers while failing to model it himself, and he overshares personal grievances while expecting professional distance. The story's title suggests the "idea" (likely revealed later) will involve money or business scheme, probably exposing further workplace absurdity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S FIRE” A Five Thousand Dollar Idea Ry Tuomas L. Masson ESSEL called his head office-man in. It was ten o'clock nh the morning. He had been up late the night before playing poker with a small clique of other bachelors, and he had smoked four cigars more than usual. “ Look here!” he snapped to Johnson.“ What's the mat- ter with you fellows, anyway? The whole office is on the It’s simply rotten. Weren't you half an hour late this morning?” John: 1 tried to smile, but the effort was abortive, He 't feeling very good himself. Well, I'm doing the best T can plain. The orders are coming in.” bum. No system w No reason to com- “Well, you fellows get a move on you; you under- stand?” said Bessel, tilting his cigar in the air. “ And sce here— In his attitude toward his office force he was alter- nately over irritable and over confidential. He had a way of breaking down in the midst of some tirade and telling all about himself. “My sister’s here from Little Falls with her kid,” he said, “and I have got to give up and take him out this afternoon. Now, you stay on the job. It’s a hell of a note, isn’t it.” he went on, “entertaining your relatives from the country? But if I catch any of you fellows going to the (Continued on page 1444) comicbooks.com