Queen of the Lincoln Highway

ONE DAY WHEN John's wife was in town shopping she invited Madge to go along, not because she liked her but because she had such excellent taste and John's wife expected to profit by her advice and use it to win Bob back to former place of amusing and admiring her in her beautiful gowns.

The day was warm as they stepped into a drug store to eat some ice cream while waiting for the clerk to fill their order they read with interest the poster which was tacked up beyond the counter. "Lincoln Highway Beauty Contest" for the beauty of your district and etc.

John's wife smiled to herself. Here was her chance. She would win this and show Bob how popular she wa. She would pay for her votes herself and bribe someone to vote them. She talked of nothing else but the beauty contest during the remainder of the day. Madge was interested, but it never entered her head to be one of the contestants.

There was an item concerning it in the evening paper. One of the town girls had already been selected. That night as they sat upon the veranda as was their custom Bob managed to get Madge apart from the others and heedless of the looks from John's wife he said, "The boys on the ranch wish to elect you for the Lincoln Highway Beauty but I told them I had better ask your consent. First they would not listen and have gone to town to enter your name with a thousand votes to start with."

Madge was taken so by surprise she knew not what to say. If she was elected the film which was shown in all the towns along the Lincoln Highway would be shown in the mining camps and perhaps her husband would see it and find out her hiding place.

Everyone noticed Madge's peculiar manner. She realized she must say something quick. "If I wish to enter such a contest let John's wife take my place; she is far more beautiful. Of that I am sure."

"What's that?" said Mrs. Sawyer. "Do you really mean you would refuse such an honor! Have you any reason except that you think John's wife 'more attractive." This with a toss of her head.

Madge looked away. Few young women would give up such an honor, but Madge did not care so long as she could keep her reason a secret.

"Speak, child. Why don't you want to enter the contest?"

"Why I haven't the clothes nor the money to buy them," faltered Madge.

"Why, that's easy. If the boys will elect you I shall be proud to buy the extra dresses. It will give me something to think about. We will go into town tomorrow and select things, for I know if the boys set their hands on anything they will carry it through, if it takes every cent they have."

Madge thanked her. She knew Mrs. Sawyer would be disappointed if she refused, but she must find some way to stop the contest. As soon as possible she slipped away to think.

With Madge gone John's wife decided she would go for a walk and by a glance of her eyes invited Bob to go with her.

Bob saw she was up to some of her little tricks and wanted to find out what she had on her mind. He rose and strolled along at her side. The conversation drifted from one think to another until John's wife managed as she thought to accidentally drift back to the scene on the porch. "Odd, wasn't it, the way Madge acted, just as though she would not be proud to be elected."

Bob saw through her scheme and realized now why she wanted to go for a walk and smiled to himself. She would gain precious little from him.

"That is her nature not to push herself forward. She is so unconscious of herself that it took her by surprise."

"There! I might of known you would say that, what all of you see about her to fall in love with is a mystery to me. Why, you don't even know what she was in the mining camp. If her husband is dead why does she wear no mourning? If he has been dead too long for that, what has she been doing alone in a mining camp since his death? I don't even think she is pretty. She is a clever actress, and the day will come when you will see she has deceived all of you."

"You are cruel to talk of her like that. Her past must have been untarnished for her goodness shows in her face, that is what makes her beautiful to me. She is the first woman I ever met that I would like to call wife. She gets so much enjoyment doing things worth while and not sitting around thinking how to ensnare some man to please her vanity, like other women I know.

John's wife was astonished at his outburst and hurriedly changed the conversation as she started back to the house. She knew quite well who he meant and determined Madge should lose the contest.

Bob was troubled and lay awake thinking of John's wife's words. He told himself over and over that he was a fool to even think of such a thing. Madge had admitted she had a past, had even said she did not deserve anyone's love. What did she mean? He would find out. He knew a fellow who owned a ranch about ten miles from the camp. He would get any information he wanted from him. [text missing] that he fell asleep.

Madge accompanied Mrs. Sawyer to town the next day and noted with a heavy heart that her name headed the list by over a thousand votes. The town girl was second, and the red-headed school marm third.

The next day John's wife suddenly appeared in second place. Madge was still ahead and the town girl withdrew her name. The third day Madge and John's wife were even. The next, Madge was again ahead. The contest was to close the next night at midnight. Madge was getting anxious. The school teacher, seeing hers was hopeless, dropped out too. This gave Alice an idea. She would get Dandy, the schoolteacher's cowboy _________ to carry out her plan. He hated Bob and was conceited enough to be glad if a woman of Alice's position would flatter him by her glances.

Alice flirted with him that evening and the next day found her out of doors early on the pretence of going for _____. Soon the cowboy appeared and together they rode away. That night the cowboys cut a deck of cards. The high man was to go to town to vote another thousand on Madge in case the town girl's friends or Alice should poll thin votes at the last and Madge would lose. Dandy [text missing] decided to ride in with the winner of the highest cut and the rest gave them a merry send off.

As soon as they reached town Dandy offered to treat. Shorty treated back and they returned to the polls and bought five hundred votes. Alice had dropped to third place and the town girl was only a few thousand votes behind Madge. They returned again to the saloon. Shorty's craving for drink was gradually getting the better of him, but he insisted on buying 500 more votes and so keep his word to the cowboys. This done, they returned to the saloon and Shorty got into a poker game. He began to lose and Dandy knew he was safe. He slipped away to the polls and bought three thousand votes and polled them for Alice. This done, he hurried back to the saloon. Shorty had never missed him and he had a hard time to get Shorty away from the poker game and homeward bound.