Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 16 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a two-part satirical story mocking a naive, gossipy newlywed woman. In the first part, she embarrasses her husband by loudly announcing to a lingerie shop owner that "everybody admired" her new intimate garments—implying she showed them around publicly. The husband's mortification is exaggerated for comic effect (considering filing for congress or drinking moonshine as escape). The second anecdote plays on the same character's obliviousness. When a doctor mentions his laryngoscope can "see far," she assumes he means he can see her undergarments and nervously warns she didn't change into fresh ones. The humor targets both her prudish anxiety and her assumption that an innocent medical comment was actually suggestive. The satire targets early 20th-century gender stereotypes: the "silly" gossipy woman, her husband's emasculation, and exaggerated feminine modesty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
14 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Especially When the North Wind Blows She was a silly little, gushing thing, and habitually talked without thinking, and in the exaggerated fash- ion which the female of the species at present affects. Lately married, she was able to induce her adoring hubby to go with her on shopping expeditions. Even when the tour included a visit to an establishment where the most intimate of feminine garments were on sale, he did not flinch. In one such shop, the discreet manageress inquired as to whether a certain set of silken unmentionables, recently purchased, had given full satisfaction. The little bride's eyes grew round. “Oh, they were beautiful!” she burst out, in her usual fashion. “Everybody admired them—every- body!” Turning pale, the unfortunate bridegroom didn't know for a moment whether to file for congress or go out and get a stiff drink of moonshine. . . . She had a sore throat, and was unable to sing, so the manager buzzed her off to the theater's medical man the tooter the sweeter. The doc. produced his laryngoscope, and as he was adjusting it he pleasantly remarked, “You'd be surprised how far we can see with this little instrument.” “Oh, is that so, doctor?” she faltered. “Well, it can't be helped, but I ought to tell you that I really had no time to change my things before I came out.”