Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, March 1921 · page 63 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #18 — page 63: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a brief comedic anecdote about a store mix-up with humorous consequences. A man bought his wife a silk dress, but the saleswoman accidentally swapped parcels with another customer buying a children's kiltie skirt (a Scottish-style pleated skirt). The wife discovered the package while her husband was away, mistook the child's skirt for "the latest style," and wore it to church—causing embarrassment or scandal in their community. The joke relies on the absurdity of an adult woman wearing children's clothing to a formal religious setting, and the husband's exasperation that the saleswoman can easily exchange items but cannot undo the social damage his wife has already caused by appearing publicly in such an inappropriate outfit. The humor reflects 1920s attitudes about fashion propriety and respectability in church settings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang 61 A Church Scandal The little man approached a saleswoman and sputtered: “Y-you got me into a pickle, you did.” “I don’t understand,” the girl replied, timidly. “You remember when I came in here to pick out a silk dress for my wife, don’t you?” “Yes.” “And you remember we asked the assistance of the lady who was buying a kiltie skirt for her little girl?” “Yes—yes.” “W-w-well, you got the parcels mixed, that’s what you did, and I took that little kiltie skirt home to my wife.” “I’m awfully sorry, sir, but, of course we can put that right.” “How?” “I can change the skirt.” “I know you can, but that isn’t the trouble. My wife opened the parcel while I was away, thought it was the latest style, and wore the wretched thing to church on Sunday.” * * * Smith Family Acounted For A Chicago school girl, in her history examination, answered that Jamestown, Virginia, was settled in 1607 and there were 120 deaths and 72 births the first year, “due to the efforts of Capt. John Smith.”