Life, 1929-02-22 · page 21 of 36
Life — February 22, 1929 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of early-to-mid 20th century American humor: **"Even Break"** is a poem about dating disappointment—a woman's bitter complaint after a man cancels their appointment, expressing how his perfunctory apology ("I'm sorry") fails to compensate for the emotional hurt and wasted time. **The cartoons** include: - A joke about alphabet soup with a letter "Y" (visual pun on "alphabet") - Jim Tully's custom car design (labeled "Tully Western A.A.") - A farm scene with duck hunting ("putt-putt" sound effects) - "Traveler's Checks"—humorous list of car troubles and police encounters common to road trips **The brief anecdotes** mock domestic servants, business practices (hiring Boy Scouts expecting free labor), and taxidermists selling "pre-war" goods as value. The page's overall tone reflects mid-century American social anxiety: romantic disappointment, automotive inconvenience, class dynamics, and commercial opportunism. The humor assumes readers share these everyday frustrations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Even Break 'm sorry...” That's all that you can say | 1a perfunctory sort of way. — | Vell—no regrets can act as ointment Then once you've broken an appoint- ment. | o turn on those Kleig-eyes, wide and star | ut don’t say those hateful words: | “I'm sorry...” you made a date with me just to “break it, | hen, why on earth did you ever make| | it? or you, many pleasures I forsook— ive stayed home and read a 1 book. ut now that you've drawn and quar- tered your quarry— ou cut me again with that phrase, L could “I'm sorry...” Vell, 1 was a fool—and you were a flin— course, | was terribly hurt! hen you phoned me today—came a car- diac quickening— hat sinking sensation!—I'll say it was | sickening ° . . ‘° Don't carry on so...Why, it’s all | t, Florrie an ‘t show up there myself I'm sorry! Max Lief. Irate Diner: Hey, waiter, there's an L-Y in my alphabet soup! “Oh, I say there!” T= vee TS a a ea in ee > en f, ~~ , Ppa Ia Dy S SS pull it agin, to make sure. Down on Mr. Evinrude’s farm. TRAVELER'S CHECKS . Flat tire. . Burned bearings. . No gas. . Bridge out. Detour. . Back seat dictation. . Traffic cops. . Thirty days for speeding. Oe Wwy = 2y Mistress: Clematis, I think I smell something burning downstairs. Did you remember to’ turn off the electric iron when you left the ironing-board, as I told you? Maw (newly arrived from the South): Yes'm, I did. I mos’ surely did. I pull dat chain once, lak you tol’ me and den I Tuen there was the booking agent who hired some Boy Scouts because he heard that they were supposed to do one good turn a day, Customer (to taxidermist): Are you sure this owl is good value? Taxivermist: Yes, sir, that’s the real pre-war stuff, We can’t think of any greater menace to a community than a fog horn tender who whistled as he worked. comicbooks.com