 Hello there. This is the family doctor. It's half for two days now, and I can't stand another minute of it. Now what's the trouble? Oh, Mama, I'm so unhappy. I can see that all right. Oh, Ella Mary. Stop it. Now quit your weeping and wailing and gnashing your teeth long enough to tell your mother what's the matter. Well, it's her. Oh, she's not so old. She's a full year younger than you are. What's the matter with Faith Windsor? She's been going out with Chick Harper. They can fill her down to May's drugstore. Don't think so much of him after all he's just working in the drugstore. I should think you could do a sight better than that. Well, I like him. That's all I know. I like him. Really, don't... When your father was courting me, I never went on so about him. When I took a notion that he was a fellow, I wanted to marry him. I married him. I didn't notice that he made a bunch of objections. If you want to marry this Chick Harper... Chick. Well, then Chick. If you want to marry him, why don't you tell him so? Oh, Mama, you don't understand. Things are different nowadays. Different? Huh, is that so? Young folks fall in love with each other, don't they? They get married, don't they? What's the different about that? What's faith Windsor got so much more than you? That's what I'd like to know. Money. Money? But your father's a richest grocer in Seaton, maybe. All Sam Windsor's got's a bank. And a job to which the voters of Seaton elected him to. Your father, me amongst them. But she's pretty too. And Faith's got nice clothes. And she has her hair finger weighed once a week. And she gets permanent every six months. And the face she'll ever have, don't we? Oh, hush. Why, she ain't any better looking than you are, Ella Mary. And you know it. But Chick doesn't know it. Is that so? Hmm. I've got an idea. What do you mean? So Faith Windsor gets nice clothes and permanence and finger waves and facials, does she? Yes. All right then, so are you. You're going to get them too. Well, what do you mean, Mama? Have you been reading in the post bugle how Editor Amos Day is going to run this here beauty contest? Yes. And how the winner of it is going to play the lead in the first annual Cedars and Festival in historic pageants? Yes, of course. I know all about that. All right then, you're going to enter that contest. And what's more, you're going to win it. Oh, Mama. Come on. We're going downtown right now. We're going first to Maddie Clark and get you some new dresses. And then we're going to the Daisy Mae Beauty Saloon and get Mabel Graham to give you all the facials and permanence and whatever else you need to make you look beautiful. Now get your galoshes and come on. Now, Mrs. Windsor, don't you think that's the most lovely soft face I've ever had on? Well, yes. But there's something about it I just don't like, Maddie. Let me look in the glass. Oh, I know what you mean, Mother. Well, what does it say? Well, it says Belle. It's just too low, that's all. That's it? Yes, Maddie. That's what's the matter with that dress. Oh, I see. The belt's too low. Yeah, that's what it is. Well, if you don't mind my making a suggestion, Mrs. Windsor. Well, of course not, Maddie. Go right ahead. Well, if I put that belt up any higher, it's going to be just exactly like the dress Ellen Mary Bliss has gone away for the contest, too. What? You mean that Ellen Mary is going into the beauty contest? Well, I don't like to carry tales, nun, but... Maddie Clark, you come right out with it. Is Marsha Bliss putting that ugly duckling of hers into the post-duebus beauty contest? Well, yes, yes she is, but I hope you don't think I had anything to do with it. Well, Marsha Bliss got a lot to do. That's all I've got to say. A face, Windsor. But in the world, the matter is... Oh, that's all... What do you like? What's funny about it? I know why Ellen Mary's going into the beauty contest. Well, why for goodness sake? It certainly can't be because she thinks she'll win it. No, of course not. She couldn't win the contest. It's because Ellen Mary's sweet on Chick Harper, too. Sweet on Chick Harper, too? What do you mean, too? You don't mean that you've been going around with that boy down at May's drug company. Well, I think I'd better be getting along, Ms. Windsor. If there's anything else you want me to do with the dress, just you let me know. Maddie Clark, what's the matter with you now? What's making you so fidgety? Well, Ms. Windsor, you see, I'm one of the judges in the beauty contest. Why? Well, then everything's all right. For a minute, I was afraid there might be a chance that Ellen Mary Bliss might ease her way into getting the prize in the beauty contest and play that part in the pageant. But now that we know that you're one of the judges, Maddie. Well, everything will be just fine. Won't it, Maddie? Well, I hope so, yes. Of course, there are two other judges. Oh, yes, Dr. Adams and Chief of Police Benson. But when a woman is on a committee with two men, Maddie, the woman generally has her way. I know. Yes, well, thank you, Ms. Windsor. I'd better be getting down to my shop. Don't forget if there's anything else you want done, just let me know. Yes, all right, Maddie. Good afternoon. Good-bye, Ms. Windsor. Good-bye, baby. Good-bye. What's the matter, Mother? Something tells me not to trust Maddie Clark's powers of persuasion. I think we'd better go down to the Daisy Mae Beauty Salon and have Mabel Graham give you a going over. Get your glasses and come on. How do you do, Mrs. Bliss? How to do? Hi, Ellen Mary. Hello. Well, please, sit down. Yes, Mother. I can't be as popular as all that who walked through that door first, ladies. Well, if I'm not mistaken, I'm quite sure that Ellen Mary and me was here first. Is that right, Mrs. Windsor? Well, I suppose it is. Okay, then. Come on in, Mrs. Bliss. Oh, it ain't for me. It's Ellen Mary I want you to take care of. Oh, yes, all right. It's not that she needs taken care of as bad as some other people in this town I know of. Well, come right in, Ellen Mary, and say I'll be with you in just a little while. I suppose you've noticed that editor Day is running a contest for the most beautiful girl at Cederton, Ms. Windsor. Oh, yes. I've noticed. And my Ellen Mary is getting all fixed up so she can win it. Is that so? Isn't that nice? Yes. Mm-hmm. Ain't it? Too bad. Faith ain't going into the contest, too. Oh, but she is going into the contest. And Faith's going to get all fixed up so she can win it. Oh, is that so? Well, ain't that nice? Yes. Ain't it? Wait a minute. Matty Clark, Phil Benson, the three of us have been sitting here for two hours trying to avoid coming to any decision about who's going to win this contest. I'm just tired. I want to go home. Well, Doc Adams, you got my vote, and you got Ms. Clark's vote. Why don't you decide one way or the other and make announcement to the folks who are waiting outside that we can all go home? Yes, Phil. That sounds very easy. Matty Clark here is voting for Faith Windsor because Judge Windsor pays her a lot of money for making clothes for his wife and daughter. It's the truth, Matty, and you might as well admit it. And you, Phil Benson, you're voting for Ellen Mary Bliss because you think Rip Bliss is going to be the next mayor of this town and you don't want to lose your job. That's the truth, too. Now, you're both trying to save your faces by letting me decide between those two girls. Well, just suppose I decide to vote for neither one of those girls. What? You don't think I could, huh? Why, Doc, you know they ain't any other girl in the city than could win this contest at Ellen Mary Bliss or Faith Windsor. Oh, isn't that? I know. Everybody in town knows it's between them two. Oh, is it? Well, just suppose I'd write another name on a piece of paper here. What? Leaving Ellen Mary and Faith out of it. Wouldn't you both sort of fall for the idea? Oh, my golly's Doc, yes. Oh, Dr. Adams, we're in an awful fix. Do you think you can figure some way to get us out of it? Fix? Yes. And Amy's Day put us into it. Beauty contest in a town the size of Cedarton or any town for that matter. Come on, come on, Doc, what's your idea? Well, I'll write a name down here on this slip of paper. If you agree with my suggestion, all you have to do is say bye, and then I'll go out and make the announcement. Dr. Adams, go ahead. Hurry up, Doc, hurry up. We'll be mobbed if we don't get out there and make the announcement pretty quick. Very well. Now, how's that? Oh, why didn't I think of that? Well, yeah, yeah, Doc. That's it. Well, they're all agreed then, huh? Oh, I should say so. The decision to the committee is unanimous. All right, I'll go out and tell the folks. My golly's Doc, that's great. You're one of the million, as the feller says. Watch, feller. Well, I mean... Never mind. Come on and stay with me. Ladies, ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Cederton, the Post-Bugle Beauty Contest Committee has arrived at the decision. The decision I might add is unanimous. Your committee has decided to award the prize of the most beautiful girl in Cederton and the girl who will play the leading part in the first annual Cederton Festival in historic pageant to... Doc, quiet, please. Quiet. The prize will go to Miss Mabel Graham. Oh, my God! Now, just a minute. Ladies, just a minute. I want you to look at three young ladies out there in the audience. What? What do you mean? Look, over there, Ella Mary Bliss and Faith Windsor throwing their arms around Mabel Graham tickled to death. She won the prize, knowing full well that if either one of them had won it, they'd never have spoken to each other again. Well, goodness gracious. Dr. Adams, I do believe you're right. What is beauty, anyhow? They're all beautiful and lovely and sweet, every one of them. Let's not spoil them. What do you say, ladies? Is the decision unanimous? Yes, yes. Absolutely unanimous. Oh, yes, Dr. Adams. Well, let's go on down and congratulate the Queen of Cedars and Queen Mabel. Family doctor, I'll be in to see you again right soon. Goodbye.