Life, 1921-08-04 · page 23 of 34
Life — August 4, 1921 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of humor content: **"The Fatal Samovar"** (top): A serialized melodrama story by Harvey Kent about a woman named Olga facing execution. A mysterious figure in Cossack uniform—revealed to be Grand Duke Paul—rescues her from her cell. The story plays on Russian aristocratic intrigue and prison escape narratives popular in early 20th-century fiction. The samovar reference suggests a poisoning plot device. **"Cheaper at Any Rate"** (middle): A joke about Prohibition-era moonshine whiskey, comparing its effects to kissing a car's spark plug—both producing similar intoxication. This satirizes the poor quality of illegal alcohol during the 1920s. **Courtroom cartoon** (bottom): A defendant claims he had "no chance" because his adoptive parents were "lowbrow" and "lowneck" (working-class), using their social status as an excuse for his criminal behavior. This mocks class-based justifications for crime. All three pieces reflect 1920s American concerns: Russian politics, Prohibition enforcement, and class commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
August 4 The Fatal Samovar or Royalty’s Ruse AWN, and with it — realization. Olga sat up on her pallet and pressed both hands against her eyes as if to shut out the grim, awful picture of the gallows that awaited her; for to-day was to be her last. Any hope of rescue she may have had died in her breast as she heard the meas- ured tread of sentries in the corridors. Came the noise of someone unlocking the door of her cell, and she shrank back against the wall cowering in her fear as a toll, booted figure entered. And then in the gray light that came through the bars of her window she recognized him and started to her feet in astonishment, for there in the uniform of a Cossack was the Grand Duke Paul. Excellency,” she murmured, and would have sunk to her knees, but he held up his hand to stop her. In an instant he was at her side. Sh-h—here I am known as Dimitroff Gabrilowitz the Avenger. I have come for you in place of Sergius, who is alive but sorely wounded. Your friends have not been idle. Is it not strange that Nicholas Nicholovitch has not come for Art for Art’s Sake you and that his men are still awaiting orders? Tell me, Olga,” he added laughingly. “What do you think Nicholas found in his glass of tea last night?” “His spoon,” replied Olga. Tue Enp Harvey Kent. Cheaper at Any Rate IRST MOTORIST: I had a drink of real moonshine the other day. Seconp Mororist: How was it? “I find that I can get about the same result if I kiss a spark-plug when my motor is running.” Culprit: Ye see, judge, I never had a chance. I wuz left an orphan and the guy wot adopted me wuz a lowbrow and his wife wuz a lowneck. comicbooks.com