Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, October 1921 · page 57 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #25 — page 57: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from a satirical magazine contains several brief humor pieces typical of early-20th-century American comedy publications. The opening joke mocks stinginess: a wife's exaggerated claim that her miserly husband wouldn't even share water with a clam demonstrates extreme cheapness. "Old Time Facts" presents absurdist humor—tautological statements (McGirth "was born on the day of his birth") and an Irish character's deadpan cemetery joke about honesty. The "Photographer's Sign" uses ambiguous wording for humor: "enlarge your babies" could suggest physical growth rather than photo enlargement. The cow anecdote plays on a double meaning: "pinched her calf" (stole the young cow) rather than the literal action. The "Lost or Stolen" notice satirizes overly detailed horse descriptions while the closing mother-son dialogue jokes about relative discipline standards between families. Overall, these represent the gentle, pun-heavy humor typical of 1920s-era American comic magazines.
📄 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 55 “You’re a stingy old tight wad, Bill.” “How do you make that out, Joe?” “Why I heard your wife say that if you owned the Atlantic Ocean you wouldn’t even give a clam a gargle.” * * * Old Time Facts A certain young man named McGirth, Was born on the day of his birth, He was married they say On his wife’s wedding day, And he died on his last day on earth. * * * Pat was passing a graveyard one day and read on a tombstone, “I still live.” “Be jabbers,” said Pat, “if I was dead sure I’d own up to it.” * * * Photographer’s Sign I enlarge your babies and frame them for only $5.00. * * * A man I know kicked up a row That stirred the neighbors wrath He walked up to a lady cow And slyly pinched her calf. * * * Lost or Stolen (From Chattanooga Times.) $10 REWARD. Black mare stolen. Return to W. W. Bell, Tyner, Tenn. Small wart in ear, tail chewed off at hocks; mane lays on both sides of neck; slightly reel-footed in two feet, one front, one hind; $25 if thief is with horse. * * * Mother (to battered son)—George, how many times have I told you to stop and count to a hundred before fighting? George—That’s what I did, Ma, but the other kid’s mother told him to count only ten.