Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, May 1922 · page 27 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #33 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three humor pieces typical of 1920s American satirical magazines: **"Fable of the Silly Ass"** is a straightforward animal fable. When a hunting horn sounds, the Fox (Reynard) and Bear (Bruin) flee—they fear being hunted or beaten. The Ass, however, stays behind, reasoning that a horn means music and dancing, therefore "flirting." The satire mocks naive optimism: while smarter animals recognize danger, the Ass's foolish assumption of pleasure leads him to remain—presumably to his harm. **"Beautiful if True"** is sentimental verse about loyalty despite universal rejection and abandonment. **The Johnny anecdote** is a schoolboy humor piece: Little Johnny forges an absence note claiming he skipped school on Wednesday for Good Friday church—when Good Friday typically *is* a religious holiday, making his excuse nonsensical. The humor lies in the child's transparently illogical deception. None appears to reference specific political figures or events.
📄 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 25 Fable of the Silly Ass Long, long ago, the Bear, the Fox, and the Ass were walking by the edge of a wood when the notes of a horn rang clear and melodious from amid the trees. “Oho, a horn!” quoth Reynard. “That means that they will hunt me. I’m off.” And he soon became a little red streak on the hillside. “Aha, a horn!” quoth Bruin. “That means they will beat me to make me dance. I’m off.” And the Bear lumbered away. “What oh, a horn!” soliloquised the Ass, thus left solitary. “That means music, and music means dancing, and where there’s dancing there’s flirting! I’m staying here.” And that Ass thoroughly enjoyed himself. * * * Beautiful if True If the whole world came and said Unkind things of you, And they all deserted you, And friends were mighty few, If the very angels turned Away from you I’d take you in my arms And still believe you true. * * * Little Johnny had played hookey so he forged this absence note, supposedly sent from his mother: “Please forgive Johnny’s absence Wednesday as it was Good Friday and he went to church.”