Life, 1925-07-16 · page 15 of 40
Life — July 16, 1925 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a humorous short story about a man (Amos Q. Pipp) and his wife visiting a crowded soda fountain on a hot night. The satire centers on a simple miscommunication: Amos repeatedly orders "two raspberry sundaes," but the increasingly frustrated clerk and staff mishear him as "two rasberry [sic] checks" or other variations. The accompanying sketch labeled "HIKING" shows people in an old-fashioned automobile, likely illustrating the couple's journey to the soda fountain. The humor derives from the chaos created by this repetitive misunderstanding in a busy establishment—a relatable scenario of customer-service frustration that satirizes both impatient customers and inattentive service workers. The story concludes on page 31.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE * ‘*Two Raspberry Sundaes!”’ year. All the morning papers would carry photographs captioned, “Polar Bears Find Relief Under Fire Hose.” It needed only a rise of another tenth of a degree to cause the Affiliated Asso- iation of Bathing Beach Proprietors to call a special meeting and vote to raise the rate on bath houses for chil- dren to three dollars. It certainly was hot! Amos Q. Pipp, trickling out of a movie theatre onto swarming Broad- with the wife at his side, stretched his wilted collar with one and addressed his lady some- ishly : “Snap into it! Let’s get home where get a little breeze from the [ was one of the hottest nights of the “I want a raspberry sundae,” said Mrs. Pipp, who at the moment looked her weight in perspiration. The places ‘I all be crowded. You never get waited on,” argued Amos. It'll only take a minute,” snapped the wife, dragging her loved one into the gorgeous interior of Store No. 17 of the De Luxe Drug Store and Ice Cream Parlors Company, Incorporated. wly they edged their way to the rble counter and climbed into two high chairs, eee near-1 (The curtain will be lowered here to denote the passing of several hours.) see “Don't we ever get no service here?” complained Mrs. Pipp with bursting peevishness, “Two raspberry sundaes!" called Amos, trying to get the eye of the clerk with the caterpillar mustache. “What's yours?” asked the clerk, ad- dressing a man behind Amos, and look- ing through him as though he were a piece of visiting shrubbery. Another clerk glided near. y, feller—two raspberry sundaes !” cried Amos, “Certainly,” “Checks ?” “What ?' “Checks?” he repeated. “Two raspberry sundaes!” demanded Amos Q. Pipp with a hard look. “Y" gotta have checks,” replied the clerk, leaving him flat. replied the — clerk. By H. I. Phillips Slowly he withdrew from his stool and walked over to the nearest cashier's cage. “Two raspberry sundaes!” he said, mopping his brow. “Next cage!” smiled the cashier. Amos snapped at a passing patron and strode heavily to another booth, “Two raspberry sundaes!” he said, clearing his throat. “Next cage!” said the cashier. Amos staggered to another window. “What is it you wish?" asked the lady. “Two mered. “Two what?” “Two RASPBERRY SUNDAES! he bawled, tearing off his collar and throwing it across the store. sunrerry rasbees,"” he stam- “Oh, raspberry sundaes!” smiled the girl, “You get them over at the soda counter !"” “I know I get ‘em over at the scda counter,” shricked Our Hero, “but I GOTTA G CHECKS!... CHECKS!...CHECK “Oh!” laimed the “You got the wrong booth, right down there to...” “Who's boss of this place?” roared Mr. Pipp, purple with indignation. “Where can I find the proprietor ?” “Mr. Buckheimer, Oh, Mr. Buck- heimer !" called the cashier. A stout, faultlessly groomed gentle- man with a beaming smile stepped over. “This gent wants to see the boss,” snapped the cashier. (Continued on page 31) young lady. You step “HIKING’ comicbooks.com