Puck — February 20, 1878 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Puck Page 3 This page contains two distinct pieces: 1. **"Apple-Seeds"** (left column): A poem with accompanying illustration about a woman counting apple seeds while reciting a romantic rhyme. This is a folk divination practice where girls would count seeds to supposedly predict their romantic future. The poem plays on traditional courtship rituals and feminine superstition. 2. **"The Benevolent Protective Order of Hat-Checks"** (center/right): A humorous essay satirizing the proliferation of hat-check services at social venues like balls. The author mocks how hat-check attendants have become ubiquitous, charging fees and allegedly losing or damaging patrons' hats. The satire targets both the commercialization of minor services and the incompetence of workers handling customers' property. The "Answers for the Curious" section provides miscellaneous advice responses.