Life, 1923-01-11 · page 15 of 36
Life — January 11, 1923 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces: **Top illustration:** A sketch showing a mother (labeled "Mother Centaur") attempting to wash a young centaur's face while other centaurs watch. The dialogue reveals the joke: the mother struggles because "every time I try to wash your face you start buck-jumping" — a pun on centaurs' horse nature combined with children's resistance to bathing. This is absurdist humor playing on the mythological creature's dual nature. **Bottom section:** A poem titled "Her Husband Pinched" about newlyweds. The husband boasts he "didn't spend a cent this week" while his wife displays new jewelry and a fur coat. She reveals she paid for everything "by check," implying she's spending his money anyway. The satire targets early 20th-century marital dynamics and the illusion of financial control in marriages. Both pieces use gentle, domestic humor typical of *Life*'s style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mother Centaur (to son): cakes, now begin, Reggy, “On a Mossy Bank.” Reccy: I want pink cakes. Dotinc Moruer: All right, pink ones. Now—darling, “On a Mossy Bank, a little violet.” (Reggy buries his head against. her knee.) Dotinc MotHer: darling ? (He whispers something.) Dotinc Moruer: He doesn't like the hats, it’s funny he’s always been afraid of hats, would you mind tak- ing your hats off? (There és a mild protest from one or two ladies but the hats are re- moved.) Dotinc Moruer: Now, heart, no more horrid hats. (He whispers again.) Oh, he doesn’t like so many faces, would you mind turning round? (The ladies all turn away.) Now Reggy, no more horrid—no more faces. “Ona Mossy Bank, a little violet’—(He whispers again.) He says he has a bank, yes, a big orange bank—what, darling? He What is it, sweet- Be quiet, Tommy. Every time I try start buck-jumping. says he has two dollars in his bank. Now you say your piece, darling, and you shall have three pink cakes. “On a Mossy Bank,” that’s right, darling, “a little violet grew.” That's it. (No sound is heard except the promptings of the Doting Mother.) Yes, three large cakes, “Seen by Fairies,” no, not pies. darling, “seen by Fairies’ eyes’—Now the second verse. “Underneath the tall’—no, not shoe-blacks, darling, “sumacs,” not so fast, dear—yes, that’s it. “Mr. Winter now has come, snow and”—no, not ice cream, dear. A little louder, precious—well, say it so that Mamma can hear. That's it! that was fine Reggy! (To the ladies.) You can turn round now—oh yes, he’s said it all. Tue Actress (putting on her hat and saying good-by): 1 shall be so interested to hear whether it is to be the furnace man or Hamlet. Dotinc Motuer: If he only wasn’t so shy, he really does it best for the servants. If you could come and hide in the kitchen sometime you could hear him splendidly. to wash your face you Her Husband Pinched “J DIDN'T week,” Announced the little bride. Her husband pinched her cheek And beamed on her with pride. spend a cent this pretty But hubby could not fail to see New pearls about her neck. “T didn’t spend a cent,” said she; “T paid for them by check!” Then hubby, stunned, could mark The diamonds in her ear. Her voice was happy as a lark— “T had them charged, my dear!” only Her hubby stared and dared to say. “Whence comes this ermine coat ?” “Oh, that—I got it yesterday. I simply signed a note!” \“I ‘didn’t spend a cent this week,” Announced the little bride. Her husband pinched her preity cheek And tanned her lovely hide. JLR.M. comicbooks.com