Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 54 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 54: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several short humorous pieces from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a WWI-era satirical magazine: **"Give Her a Ring Under the Eye"** is a joke about gift-giving, where the punchline plays on "ring under the eye" (bruising from a punch) rather than jewelry. **The fashion quip** mocks women's hemlines of the era, suggesting skirts are so short that the only "cap" (hat/coverage) a girl will pursue is literally a man's kneecap. **"A Human Obsession"** describes a disabled WWI veteran—gassed and amputated—who obsessively searches for his lost leg, irrationally suspecting women possess it. He's repeatedly arrested on harassment complaints. The piece calls this troubling behavior a "pleasant mania," using dark humor about a genuine social problem: how communities treated disabled veterans post-war. The opening text appears to be a sentimental letter concluding an earlier piece. **Historical context**: This reflects post-WWI America's complicated relationship with disabled soldiers and early cynicism about their reintegration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
52 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang soned bed bug, and fall away from a flourishing vine of life an untimely branch; and, in the coming years, when the shadows grow from the hills, and the philosophical frog sings his cheerful evening hymn, you, happy in another's love can come and cast a tear and catch a cold upon the last resting place of Yours affectionately, ANNY JOHN. * * * Give Her a Ring Under the Eye “What shall I give my girl for a birthday present?” “Why not give her a book?” “No, I think she has a book.” * * * “Where did you get the idea?” “Right out of my own head, and I have enough left to make a crazy-quilt.” * * * Judging from spring styles, the only cap a girl will set for a man this summer will be a kneecap. * * * A Human Obsession We’ve got a discharged soldier in our town who was gassed, and had his leg shot off. He is forever looking for his lost leg, and often seems to think a woman may have it, with the result that he is arrested every few days on some woman’s complaint and is let go. We’d call that a pleasant mania.