Comments for Excitement! Well, A-Plenty

I posed this question to ChatGPT:

In 1920 an indianapolis newspaper had the following headline: "Two Boys, Age 9 and 10, Borrow an Old Gray Mare, Then Harness, a Buggy, Coal Wagon, All in Different Places Accumulate Bread, Milk, Etc. Stay Out All Night, B'jing!"

Question: what was meant by "B'jing"?

In the 1920 Indianapolis newspaper headline, the word "B'jing" is likely a phonetic or slang abbreviation of "Beijing", used humorously or whimsically to suggest a faraway, exotic place — as if the boys were on a grand adventure that might as well have taken them all the way to China.

This kind of exaggerated expression was common in early 20th-century American journalism, especially in human-interest stories or humorous pieces involving children. Saying something like "they stayed out all night — B'jing!" would be akin to saying "they could have gone to the moon!" — i.e., they were gone so long or went on such an elaborate journey that it felt like they ended up halfway around the world.

Summary:

"B'jing" = slangy shorthand for "Beijing", used for comic effect to emphasize the surprising, ambitious, or far-reaching nature of the boys' overnight escapade.