Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, August 1921 · page 64 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #23 — page 64: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comedic dialogue between a father interrogating his son about college behavior. The satire works through the son's responses: he claims to have avoided vices while actually confessing to worse ones. The humor relies on **evasive wordplay and technical honesty**. When the father asks about cards, the son says he "only played dice"—technically not cards, but still gambling. Asked about cigarettes, he smokes cigars and a pipe instead. Denied sneaking drinks, he made alcohol himself. He didn't go to midnight revues—he "went with the chorus when they were through" (implying inappropriate encounters). The escalation culminates in casual admissions of carrying a gun, making homemade liquor, and "dancing without any light" (sexual activity). **Context**: This reflects 1920s concerns about youth morality during Prohibition. The satire mocks both the father's naive questioning and the son's brazen deflections—suggesting young men were openly flouting social expectations while technically answering their elders truthfully. The joke is that the son is far *worse* than feared, not better.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
62 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang "Now while you were at college, my son, Tell me of some of the things you done. I hope you kept off the cards and vice?" "Certainly, father; I only played dice." "And you didn't go to the races each day?" "We bet right in school. They were so far away." "You don't smoke cigarettes? I said it's not right." "No. What I smoke, dad, are cigars and a pipe." "You didn't go round with boys who were tough?" "I went with the girls. But I never was rough." "You didn't sneak out and do drinking by stealth?" "Oh, nothing like that. I made it myself." "You mean to say you've taken a nip?" "Sure. If you want a drink there's some on my hip." "You never went to a midnight revue?" "No. I went with the chorus when they were through." "I hope you didn't get fighting, my son?" "No one would try it. I carried a gun." "I suppose in all sport you took a delight?" "Yes. I used to like dancing without any light." "Of course you took part in the baseball game?" "I didn't like baseball. It's rather too tame."