Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, August 1922 · page 28 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #36 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang* (a 1920s humor magazine) contains two satirical pieces: **"Ain't Love Just Grand?"** mocks sentimental romantic dialogue through exaggeration. A young couple share a handkerchief to remove dust from their eyes, then fantasize about sharing the *same dust particle*—treating this mundane moment as profound romance. The satire lies in ridiculing overly precious, affected expressions of love. The ending's reference to a falling "Votes for Women" signboard appears intentionally jarring—likely mocking women's suffrage activism as chaotic or absurd, reflecting the magazine's irreverent tone toward contemporary social movements. **The brief joke at bottom** is a simple pun: "dumb bells" (exercise equipment) vs. "dumb bells" (bells rung by deaf-mute residents)—typical lowbrow wordplay humor of the era. The overall tone is cynical toward both romantic sentimentality and progressive causes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
26 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang “Ain’t” Love Just Grand? It was the glorious Autumn, but it was windy and dusty, and the dust beat mercilessly into their faces, as the young man and maiden turned the corner of the street. “Did you get any in your eyes, darling?” he asked fondly, drawing her closely to him. “Yes, sweetheart,” she murmured, searching for her elusive handkerchief. “Which eye, beloved?” he pressed. “The right one, love! Did you get any in yours?” “Yes, dear heart!” he responded, using the same corner of the handkerchief that she had used. “How sweet!” she exclaimed. “And yours was in the right eye, too?” “Yes, dearest.” “Ah,” she thrilled, “do you suppose that it could have been part of the same piece of dust that got in our eyes?” “I hope it was!” he exclaimed fervently, blinking a pleasurable beam with his good eye. “Wouldn’t it be lovely, love?” she cried. “Oh, love, wouldn’t it?” he wriggled. And the wind howled as though in pain, and from the house opposite a “Votes for Women” signboard fell with a sickening crash upon the sidewalk. * * * Sign suggested for a Deaf and Dumb Asylum: In case of fire, ring the dumb bells.