The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1906-11-22
THE DAILY SHORT
STORY
I
THE PRETTiEST GIRL.

Did l ever tell you about Mary
Bridget and the Beauty Show?
l didn't? Well, If it doesn't. do
anything else. it certainly gives a
fellow a line on the inside makeup
of the genius female. Yes, sir.
Mary Bridget was my girl. and
to my mind there was nothing to
| it but she was the prettiest girl in
the world, let alone Stapletown.
The trouble all started when Jake
Hanahan, an old friend of mine in
Frisco days, hit Stapletown with
| his beauty show contest. He had
bills put all over the town adver-
Using the handsome prize to be
given the prettiest girl entered for
the beauty show, himself to be the
judge, and every fema;e in the vii
lage started down to the drugstore
for beautifiers. A couple of days
later who did I see thoughtfully
| regarding one of those same three
sheets but Mary Bridget herself.
At that identical moment an idea
came to me, and that was where
| the trouble started.
I hunts up Jake. Says I: Jake,
me and you have been pals, amt
it so?" He says it is, which it is
Cali right" says l, NOW give me
your kind attention while I put
you wise. Look at this photo
graph. Amt she the real prize
picture?" and I showed him Mary
Bridgets latest.
! Gee, but she's beaut!" he
says, "only a fellow can't tell much
from photograph" and he cock
! ed his eye kinder cautious.
Photograph be blowed!" says I.
81 tell you, she's the whole push
in the beauty line. Jake, she be-
longs to me-or she willard
she's got to win that prize"
Jake let his left eye down slow,
and l knew it was fixed, SO back
go after Mary Bridget.
Well, sir, you ought to have
seen the crowd! Thirty-seven Of
'em, or | was seeing double. And
all sorts. Some of EN- was pretty,
too, but to my mind Mary Bridget
was the ace, even over one fascin-
ating little dark eyed trick. Jake,
he swells around and stands off at
different distances and makes
notes on his paper. Finally he
says:
Ladies and gentlemen: l have
seen beauty before, but never such
bewildering array of beauties as
we now behold. After due consid-
Grafton, however, the first prize, a
gold bracelet, is awarded to Miss
Mary Bridget Jones'"
Now you'd think that would set
tie everything. wouldn't you? No,
sir! Mary Bridget got the big head
right off-wouldn't hardly walk
with me going home. The next
morning she would hardly speak.
and the third day. thought it
was Christmas from the tempera.
ture around the Jones mansion. l
got desperate. hunted Jake up
again-he was still hanging around
town. talked to him long and
earnestly and confldentially, and
the next day Stapletown was past
ed all over with new placards stat
ing that the preliminary beauty
contest having been held, accord
ing to ordinary standards Of
beauty. there would now be held
the real and great beauty contest,
Judged from the standard of abso-
lutte and ideal beauty.
You should have seen Mary
Bridget. Scared? Not bit of it.
What did she do but fix herself
up and pay her entrance fee and
waltz right into the absolute and
ideal contest!
Yes. we got married the week
after. There were AZ entries this
time, and Jake gave the dark eyed
girl first and put Mary Bridget No.
10, and she got over her high
horse in five minutes.
But, as say, women are Pc