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- A young sculptor searches for the perfect model to inspire his work.
- Basil Hallward, a celebrated artist, had completed a portrait which he privately declared was his masterpiece. It was a picture of Dorian Gray, a wealthy and handsome young man, who was a great favorite in London society. Basil and Dorian were looking at the painting in the artist's studio when Lord Henry Wotton, a mutual friend, came in. He complimented Dorian upon the picture, and remarked that in years to come it would be something to look back upon, for it would remind him of what he had been in the days of his youth. Dorian was deeply in love with an obscure actress who played Shakespearian roles in a minor theater. For a time he wooed her from afar, finally scraped up courage and secured an introduction, and speedily won the love of the simple-hearted girl. One evening he told her of his love, and she gladly consented to marry. The next evening Dorian was again in the theater, this time accompanied by Basil and Lord Henry. Dorian had told them of the actress they came prepared to admire, but remained to laugh, for her work was woefully mediocre, in fact so bad that the audience hissed her from the stage. Angered, Dorian abruptly left his friends and went back upon the stage. He reproached his charmer, and she told him she never again would act well, for his love had taught her "the hollowness, the sham, the silliness of the empty pageant" in which she had always played. She looked to him for consolation; he threw her from him with reproaches and angrily told her she killed his love, and that he would never see her again. Then he left, and heard in the morning that she killed herself. It only stirred him vaguely. A little later he idly looked at his picture, it was not the same picture; there was a touch of cruelty about the lips. The picture he secretly hid in the attic of his home. As the years rolled on he became more evil, but those who heard the stories about him could not believe them, for he always had the look of one who kept himself unspotted from the world. But there were moments of anguish of which no one knew, the times when he slinked up to his attic, drew aside the draperies that concealed a portrait, and saw for himself how his wickedness was indelibly stamped upon his picture. He would examine it with minute interest, and sometimes he would laugh when he realized that to the world he was still young and pure in appearance. One day he determined to get rid of this hateful reminder of his vices. He smiled as he picked up a knife, and smiled again as he sunk the knife into the breast of the horrible painting. There was a terrible cry, and when the servants broke in the door, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master, as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled and loathsome of visage. It was not until they examined the rings that they realized who it was.
- Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.
- An indictment of the evils of child labor, the film was controversial in its time for its use of actual footage of children employed in a working mill.
- A young artist is a great lover of the beautiful, and has a natural horror of anything repulsive. He fails in love with a girl who satisfies his artistic requirements. The Girl's father, a worldly wise inventor, does not approve of his daughter's choice. He realizes that the young artist has many limitations, and doubts if he will make his daughter happy. The girl, when told of his fears, at first laughs them to scorn. Then she begins to doubt herself. Finally, a chance comes to test the father's theory. There is an explosion in the laboratory, and the girl, in trying to save her father, is badly injured. The artist hurries around to the house, and finds that the girl he loves is disfigured for life. She offers him his freedom and returns him his ring. The young man is not of the stuff of which heroes are made. His love cannot survive the loss of the girl's beauty. He takes the ring and hurries away. And the fears of the father are proven. As time rolls on the artist finds that he cannot forget the girl he once hoped to wed. Gradually he forgets her beauty, and thinks more and more of her character and mental attributes. Humbly he returns to the house, and again pleads his suit. At first the girl repels him, finally she consents to take him back. She is heavily veiled when they meet, but she does not raise the veil, neither does be ask her to. Her physical appearance is of no importance he tells her, and so far as he is concerned, this is the truth. For he is no longer the artist, he is the sincere lover. Still wearing her veil, but her beauty regained, the girl accompanies him to the altar. When they return to his studio, the veil is lifted, and with a radiant smile she goes to his arms.
- When Barbara Norton is left orphaned, she goes to live with her aunt and uncle. Time passes, now grown to adulthood, Barbara, becomes engaged to a wealthy young man who believes in pacifism. When the United States declares war on Germany, Barbara's fiance declines to enlist, and so Barbara gives him back his engagement ring and goes to France as a Red Cross nurse. En route, her steamer is torpedoed and Barbara is assumed to be drowned. Even this tragedy does not inspire the young man's patriotism and when solicited to enlist, he declares that the United States be damned. These sentiments shock an old friend of his father's, who brings the young man a copy of the book The Man Without a Country . Upon reading the book, the young man visualizes the story of Philip Nolan and is compelled to serve his country. As he is about to go to war, Barbara returns, and the two lovers embrace.
- The conversation at Dr. Emerson's farewell bachelor dinner veered to the struggles in the medical world to achieve success legitimately. "Tomorrow," said Emerson, "I operate on a rich old man; one of his relatives offered me $20,000 if he dies." After the others had departed, the rejected suitor lingered, and kept Emerson up late, plying him with wine. The next day, he was unfit for the operation, and the patient died. The police arrested Emerson on evidence contained in an anonymous letter and statement of the rejected suitor that Emerson had confessed the crime. On the way to prison Emerson escaped by jumping into the river, and after a futile search was reported as drowned. Years passed, and the rival, who had married Emerson's former fiancée, became a successful ship owner. On visiting one of his ships his little daughter makes friends with a morose sailor, and a few days later she disappears. After several months an aviator brings her back to her father, with a note tucked in her dress, "She has been saved by your bitterest enemy. Beware. Some day he will strike through her." She tells of the trip on one of his own leaky boats, the wreck, and her rescue by the sailor "doctor man," and her father realizes with terror who his enemy is.
- A gentle orphan discovers life and love in an indifferent adult world.
- Dr. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, enjoys life with his wife and five children. His two daughters, Olivia and Sophia, are courted by two apparent gentlemen, Mr. Burchell and Squire Thornhill, who is Dr. Primrose's landlord. But when Mr. Burchell is supposed to have seduced and abandoned Olivia, the Primrose family finds its fortunes dwindling in every sense. It is learned that Burchell is innocent of the seduction, and the real villain is unmasked, but not before Primrose and his family come very near disaster.
- Left a penniless orphan at 14, Jane Eyre is adopted by her uncle, who has ample means to provide for her and also loves her dearly. Her uncle's family considers her an intruder and do all in their power to prevent her from becoming a full member of their family, but during his lifetime she receives some degree of kindness and consideration. Unfortunately, he dies and leaves her without a friend in the world and his unfeeling widow sends her to a badly-run orphan asylum. Five years later she leaves the asylum to accept the position of governess to Lord Rochester's little niece, daughter of his late brother. Her mother has become insane and is living in Lord Rochester's home under his protection. Jane is engaged by Lord Rochester's housekeeper during his absence from home, and her first meeting with her employer is both exciting and romantic. She is sitting by the edge of the road reading when Lord Rochester rides up to his ancestral home. The sight of his huge dog, coming upon her suddenly, so startles Jane that she jumps to her feet, causing Lord Rochester's horse to shy and throw it rider. He injures his ankle, and has to be assisted to remount "the little witch," as he calls her, who is the cause of his accident. That same evening in his home, he is surprised to find that "the little witch" of his adventure is living in his house as his niece's governess. Jane's rich relations, the Reeds, visit Lord Rochester, and persistently insult and humiliate her by treating her like a servant. Lord Rochester, however, is not blind to her sweetness, nor to the cruelty of her cousin, who is trying to win Lord Rochester's hand and fortune. One evening the maniac escapes from her nurse and sets fire to the room in which Lord Rochester has fallen asleep. He is saved from a horrible death by Jane. When next Jane's haughty aunt and cousins call on Lord Rochester, they are just in time to be introduced to his bride, who is none other than the despised Jane Eyre.
- Phoebe Lester, a little country girl, whispers to her pet hen, "You've laid an egg for a man from New York. Ain't you proud?" and while taking breakfast to Philip, the new boarder, who came from that distant place, she gazes at him as if he has come from an unknown land. Returning to the city with a newfound love and regained health, Philip struggles to sell his poems to bring his "egg" girl to her New York. In the meantime, Phoebe's brown hen proves to be a golden one, and her egg money buys a ticket to Philip and her Wonderland. On the train, Laura, a flashily-dressed woman, meets Phoebe and, tempting her with a nice new dress, takes her to her house. There, Owen, a former employer of Philip, is fascinated by her simplicity. Such grandeur and strange "fizzy" drinks overwhelm her, but Providence intervenes, when the little brown hen hops into the street with Phoebe scrambling after. A big-hearted policeman finds her and takes her to Philip, and acts as "bridesmaid" at their wedding. Their little home, built on much love and little food, is brightened by the adoption of Johnny, an abandoned baby, that Philip finds on the dumbwaiter. Johnny brings good luck and Philip secures a good job through Owen and in nicer quarters their cup of happiness seems to be full, when Owen, to further his ends, contrives to get Philip to gamble with borrowed money. Phoebe, convinced by trickery, that Philip is unfaithful, is heart-broken and believes that love and her New York are unreal after all. But, the yielding, grief-stricken country girl awakens Owen's better self, and with his help the unhappy household is reunited.
- Three wise men from the East follow a star to Bethlehem in search of the infant Jesus.
- This twenty-three episode serial told the story of a secret society called The Black Hundred and its attempts to gain control of a lost million dollars.
- A messenger boy is wrongfully accused of stealing bonds worth $20,000.
- To her aunt's dismay, Prudence isn't interested in society life. She'd rather listen to the butler's tall tales of being a pirate. Nixed from a boat trip, she rents a schooner, recruits a crew and raises the jolly roger.
- Episode 1: "The Mystic Message of the Spotted Collar" Zudora, 18, has a guardian, Hassam Ali, a disciple of Hindu mysticism. Hassam Ali was a fakir with a small caravan circus. Zudora's mother was his sister and the rope walker. Zudora's father remained in a small mining town where he prospected for gold. As the story opens Zudora, her mother and Hassam Ali, her uncle, are visiting the town of Zudora's birth and where Zudora's father is still prospecting. Zudora's father finds that the Zudora mine yields a wonderful run of gold. He becomes over-zealous and is killed in an explosion. He wills the entire mine, which is valued at $20,000,000, to Zudora, when she reaches her eighteenth birthday, and in the event of Zudora's death, going to the nearest heir-at-law. Zudora's mother receives information of her husband's death when she is about to ascend the rope and give her performance. She falls to the ground, and with a dying gasp turns over to Hassam Ali the guardianship of Zudora. Zudora reaches her eighteenth year. Hassam Ali has set himself up as a mystic, but his one purpose in life is to rid himself of Zudora, so that the mine will be his. He is also anxious to rid himself of John Storm, Zudora's sweetheart. He has kept from Zudora the information about her inheritance. He at last arrives at one plan that seems safe. Zudora has evidenced quite wonderful powers of deduction. He tells her that since she has always been so anxious to incorporate herself in his work, he will give her the next twenty cases he is called upon to solve. He says: "If you win, you may marry John Storm. If you lose on any one of them, you renounce him forever." Zudora's sweetheart is involved in a great case for the city. Opposed to him is one Bienreith, a prominent lawyer. The case is going well for John Storm. Hassam Ali decides that after eighteen years of waiting it is time to use heroic measures. He denounces Storm in front of Zudora, and then tells her about the twenty cases. The very first thing in the courtroom, Storm slaps the face of Bienreith, after a particularly insulting speech, and is invited to a duel that night. An hour later the newspapers are full of her sweetheart's trouble. Zudora rushes to his side and finds him practicing with a revolver. She plans to keep him from meeting Bienreith. She purchases a drug, and drops it in a glass of drinking water. Next morning the papers tell of Storm's disappearance. The great mystery of it is that Bienreith has been found dead in his room and the blame placed upon John Storm. Storm is arrested. Zudora rushes to her uncle and begs that this be her first case. When she goes to Bienreith's home that morning she finds the collar that he had worn when killed. It has queer markings on it. She studies the lines carefully, but can make no headway. Storm is formally charged with the murder. She reaches the courtroom just in time to say, "Stop, he is not guilty...," and falls into a faint. Hassam Ali and Burns, a confederate, watch as the girl recovers and explains that she has solved the mystery. Burns is placing a revolver, equipped with a silencer against her neck, when she turns suddenly and takes a pencil from his pocket to prove her contention to the court. She realizes, in looking at the mark, that there is a similarity between the markings of Burns' pencil and the markings on the collar. Court is adjourned. Zudora induces Burns to accompany her home. Under hypnosis he confesses to killing Bienreith. Zudora had placed two lawyers behind the curtains and they hear the confession. Zudora has solved her first case and Hassam Ali congratulates her. In the courtroom Zudora clasps Storm in her arms as the judge proclaims him free.
- The second of "Thanhouser Big Productions," a monthly schedule, Joseph in the Land of Egypt was a true "feature" film, a new class of film which came to dominate the market by the end of 1914. A feature was an hour or more, heavily advertised, with elaborate production values, often with higher ticket prices, longer runs per theater, strongly promoted star cast and was always a drama. Thanhouser followed up on the enormous success one year earlier of THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM with a familiar Biblical story, large and highly decorated (and highly populated) sets, elaborate costumes and (something new) star promotion. Only a few "Thanhouser Big Productions" in early 1914 included specially-commissioned scores from Tams Music Library. It had been common for accompanists to improvise or use standard selections from theater and classical music, or "cue sheets" of compilations tailored specifically to the film. Beginning in 1915, the biggest features included original scores commissioned by the production studio. The performed score for JOSEPH IN THE LAND OF EGYPT is a combination of the written original music and the musician's improvisation based on its themes. This original music is a transition to the fully-composed scores introduced in Europe and the U.S. a year later. Whether it is another Thanhouser innovation is a subject for research. As in all the other titles in this Thanhouser collection, organist Ben Model exhibits the demanding and skillful art of improvisation.
- Lear is an old man blind to his weaknesses. He decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters according to who recites the best declaration of love. Goneril and Regan pretend to love him but treat him cruelly. Cordelia is loyal but, confusing honesty with insolence, he disowns her.
- An electric current accidentally brings a female mummy back to life with decidedly romantic inclinations, much to the surprise of a young Egyptologist and his less than understanding fiancée.
- Captain John Smith comes to America at the head of a band of English colonists and settles Jamestown, Virginia. While at the lead of the colony Smith makes a trip of exploration into the interior, and is captured there by King Powhatan, the acknowledged head of all the redmen in Virginia. Powhatan orders his prisoner's execution. Just as the fatal club is about to descend, Pocahontas, the favorite daughter of the King, throws herself before her father. She begs so fervently that the white man's life be spared that Powhatan relents and orders his release. Captain Smith returns in safety to his friends. Later, Pocahontas is taken prisoner by the English, and held as hostage. While a prisoner, she is converted to Christianity, and falls in love with Rolfe, a handsome young Englishman. They are married in a rude little church at Jamestown, and the Indian princess sails away with her husband to England. There she is received with royal honors by King James I, but the foreign flower cannot stand transplanting. She soon sickens and dies, and in her last hours is visited by visions of the home in the wilderness that she would fly back to if she could.
- The series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed when her boss's son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family's mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked.
- An Immigrant has come to the United States and is sponsored by a relative. He takes him to find employment and show him how the American work is protected by showing different types of safety equipment.
- The Princess Priscilla of Rurilia was a refined and dainty young woman, and had never worried about love or sweethearts. It came as a shock to her when her uncle, who presided over the small country, announced that she was to marry Prince Wilhelm of Ogram, one of their neighbors. Perhaps the princess might have acquiesced had it not been that she took a great dislike to Prince Wilhelm, a man of bad habits and n terrible reputation. Anyway, the princess told her uncle she would never marry the prince, and the king retorted in a way purely regal; he ordered his niece to remain a close prisoner in her rooms until she was prepared to obey his commands. It never struck the king that the princess would run away, but that was precisely what she did. So, aided by her faithful nurse, they arrived in America in course of time, and as they had money and jewels, the problem of high cost of living did not bother them at first. At last their money did run out, and the old nurse, becoming sick, had to be removed to a hospital. The doctor who attended her was a kindly old man, and he secured the princess a job as maid in the home of a wealthy family, never suspecting that she was of royal blood. The real man arrived in the shape of the wealthy brother of the mistress. He fell violently in lore with the maid and proposed to marry her, but at first she coyly refused him. Womanlike, she wanted to appear her best on such an occasion, and her chance came. The minister from Ruralia called upon the mistress of the princess, and to his surprise met one of his royal house in servant's garb. The princess induced him to keep her secret, and also to get an invitation for her to the ball, which was to be given at the house. There the princess appeared in all her splendor. The diplomat accompanying her expected that she would announce her intention of returning to her home; to his surprise, however, she took this occasion to accept her lover, remarking that she preferred an honest man's love to a throne.
- To bring an end the enmity which has existed between King René, who ruled in Provence in the fifteenth century, and Count Vaudemont, the later gentlemen agreed with the former through their mediator, the Duke of Burgundy, to betroth his new-born daughter, Iolanthe, to Tristan, the nine-year-old son of the count. Not long after this agreement was made the palace was partly destroyed by fire, and in being rescued by a soldier the baby girl became blind. The king sent to Cordova for a famous physician named Ebu Jahia, who told the father that his daughter should be kept in ignorance of her affliction until she attained the age of sixteen, at which time she would regain the use of her eyes. Acting upon this advice the king built in a secluded spot in his dominion a cottage, where the childhood days of Iolanthe were spent in the company of nobody but her nurse, Martha, and the former's husband, Bertrand, a forester. She was not permitted to receive anybody and even when the king paid her visits he was known as a humble knight named Sir Raymbaut. As the years went by King René began to fear that Tristan would not wed a blind girl and that the feud would thereby be rekindled. The count kept his son strictly to the pledge and when Iolanthe reached her sixteenth year Tristan was sent to Provence to meet her. He wandered away from his escort, and, with his retainer. Sir Geoffrey of Orange, he accidentally came upon the cottage. Peering in through the half open door, Tristan saw a beautiful girl sleeping on the couch. Upon lifting the talisman that Ebu Jahia had placed upon her breast to produce sleep, the girl soon woke. He went into the garden and was soon followed by Iolanthe. When Sir Geoffrey saw the girl he tried to get Tristan away from her, but the young man had fallen in love with her and would not go. During their conversation Tristan learned that Iolanthe was blind and was greatly surprised that she did not know anything about it. He gently broke the news to her and when he left, it was with a promise to call again the next day. All were surprised to learn that a stranger had been there and had revealed the secret to Iolanthe, but it soon developed that it was a fortunate occurrence for the physician declared it necessary. Ebu Jahia then took the blind girl into the cottage and began working over her eyes. While the king waited outside he received a message from Tristan renouncing his daughter because he loved another. But when Tristan arrived he learned the true state of affairs, and the long-buried feud will never be rekindled.
- Unable to find help to work his farm, a farmer gets a bright idea--he advertises that any man willing to work on his farm will be permitted to court his two daughters. The girls and their mother don't take kindly to being offered as an "incentive", so when some college boys show up looking to take advantage of both offers, the girls come up with a plan of their own.
- Comte Paul De Valreas is attracted to Frou Frou, the frivolous wife of Henri De Sartorys and the indifferent mother of their young son Georges. Paul persuades Frou Frou to bring her somber sister Louise, who secretly loves Henri, into the household, thus freeing her from any domestic duties. Frou Frou returns Paul's affections and neglects her husband and son even more than before. Louise quickly assumes direction of Henri's home and innocently supplants Frou Frou in the eyes of her husband and child. Sensing that her presence is no longer needed at the Sartorys estate, Frou Frou bitterly denounces Louise and then elopes with Paul to Venice. Henri pursues them and slays his rival in a duel. Alone in Venice, Frou Frou becomes gravely ill. She is found on her deathbed by Louise, who summons Henri and Georges. As she dies, Frou Frou gives the three her blessing.
- Hans is a little Dutch boy, the son of a poor fisherman. He, like all children of Holland, is early impressed with the fact that the safety of the whole community depends upon the strength of the dyke. He is sent upon an errand to his aunt late one evening. Walking along at the foot of the dyke, he discovers a tiny hole, through which the water is pouring. Realizing that if left to flow through even this small aperture, the water would soon break down the dyke and flood the village, he sticks his tiny finger into the hole, and waits for someone to come to his assistance. Night comes on. His family decide that he has stayed with his aunt, and so do not worry about him. In the morning he is found almost unconscious from fatigue and exposure, by his little sister who has been searching for him. She runs back and notifies the villagers, who come to his assistance, repair the dyke, and carry the little hero back to the village in triumph. He is received by the Burgomaster and praised by the Minister. By his night's heroism he has made himself a place in history, and will always be known as "The Little Hero of Holland."
- The girl was young, pretty, and also a good business woman. When her father died she took up the reins of management and ran an orange grove with successful results. Her capable hands were so busy that she had no time to think of love. One day, however, "the prince" appeared. He was a tourist from the north. It was love at first sight on both sides. Then the awakening came. She learned that the man had a wife, an invalid and cripple. The man did not tell her, the news was broken to her by accident. Life had become bitter to her, and in a moment of weakness she decided to end it all, and wandered down to the sea. Looking around to note if she was observed, she was just in time to see another woman leap overboard. The girl forgot her own troubles, jumped into the water, and saved the unfortunate. After she had brought her ashore and revived her, she recognized the unhappy one as the wife of the man. The wife did not know her rescuer, but ingratitude told her story, of physical suffering, of neglect and coldness. The self-reliant girl pitied the poor weak woman, and induced her to make her home with her. There later the girl received a letter from the man, telling of the death of "a rich relative" which, he explained, made their marriage possible. He added that he would call that afternoon to discuss the date of their marriage. The man was promptly on hand. The girl met him, and led him through the grove to the house. Then she stepped aside and pointed to a woman asleep in an invalid's chair. The man looked and recognized his wife. "I saved her life," the girl whispered, "Your neglect and brutality drove her to attempt suicide. Go, and never return." The man made no comment, but departed. The wife awoke and sleepily asked the girl if they had had a visitor. "No one that either of us know or ever will know," was the reply, "Go to sleep again." The wife dozed off again while the girl watched her.
- Based on Browning's poem, a widowed Duchess raises a son that decides to abandon modern ways and act like it's the medieval days. When he wishes to marry, a young woman is found and plays along believing it's all a joke.
- Her parents were humble peasants, and were fond of her when she was a baby, for they believed she would grow up to be a beautiful woman and make a good match. The trouble was that she didn't grow up. When she was nineteen she was no bigger than a child of six. Naturally they were overjoyed when an offer for their daughter's hand was made by another midget who lived in the same village. To their astonishment and anger, the girl refused to entertain it, declaring the husband she chose would have to be a man of whom she could be proud. Her home life was most unhappy after that, and the entire family rejoiced when a showman from the United States arrived and offered what seemed big money if she would join his "Congress of Freaks," which was quite an institution in America. And the girl went gladly. In her strange new life, she found many things to wonder at, and one object to admire, to wit: the biggest giant she had ever dreamed of. Naturally she fell deeply in love with him, but he never even suspected it. The reason was that his giantly affections were all expended on the glorious snake charmer, whom he hoped to make his bride some day. The midget, who thought her affections were returned, was disillusioned, and her romance shattered. Then the little man from across the sea crossed to America, and renewed his suit. She was won by his devotion, and accepted him.
- According to the tale found in the ancient annals, the little town of Hamelin, in Hanover, found itself, five hundred years ago overrun with rats. The citizens tried every way to abate the plague, but without result. Finally a mysterious stranger appeared in the town and offered for the sum of 1000 guilders to clear the place of vermin. His offer was accepted, for the mayor and council were at their wits' end, and willing to try any expedient. The stranger was a piper, and the music he played lured the rats out of their hiding places. They followed him to the river, where they plunged in and were drowned. When the Piper returned to the council, and demanded his pay, he found the city rulers ungrateful and dishonorable. They repudiated their bargain, and told the Piper to take 15 guilders and be gone. For he was shabby and ragged and they thought they could swindle him with impunity. But the Piper had his pipe left, and it was still potent, as the townsmen learned to their sorrow. He played another tune, and this time it was the children who followed him. They marched out of the city behind him, and the citizens awoke to find that all their homes were desolate. One version of this old legend is that one little boy, a cripple, was unable to keep up with the others, and when they followed the Piper into a hollow hill, he was so far behind that the doorway was closed before he limped up. It is said that he lived a lonely life in a city of sorrow, where the voice of children, except his own, was not heard. But there is reason to believe that the Piper was not so hard-hearted as some chroniclers have maintained. How could he make a whole town unhappy, ceaselessly unhappy, and how could he blight the existence of a poor little crippled boy? So we like to believe that the Piper listened to the prayers of the cripple, and restored to him his playmates. And that after a time there was joy in Hamelin, and that its citizens learned a lesson, that dishonesty never pays, and that in the long run, if you cheat a man or woman, you may expect some day, in some way, to pay the penalty.
- Don Jose', the hero of the famous book by Prosper Merimee and Bizet's celebrated opera, was born in the Basque Provinces of Spain. He was a good-looking young peasant, devoted to his old mother and greatly in love with his pretty sweetheart Mercedes, but their plans for an early marriage were rudely ruptured by the news that he had been drafted for service in the Spanish army. Jose' comforted his mother and Mercedes, telling them that he would soon return and they would never be separated again. He proved to be a good soldier, and in a short time was made a corporal. His commanding officer, who had great confidence in the new corporal's ability and trustworthiness, sent him with a detachment of soldiers to preserve order in a certain unruly quarter of the town. Jose was strolling by a cigar factory one day, when some of the girls employed in the establishment came out. One of them, a beautiful brunette called Carmen, held a red rose between her teeth, and as she passed the young officer, she cast a coquettish glance at him, then took the rose and tossed it to him. He let it fall to the ground unheeded; furious, she ran off, followed by her companions' mocking laughter. But Jose' was more attracted by the girl than his manner had indicated. When he thought himself unobserved, he picked up the rose and pressed it to his lips; from distance, Carmen saw this and smiled. Almost before the soldier realized it, he was completely infatuated with the fascinating cigarmaker. Gradually, though his better nature struggled against it, he forgot his mother and his faithful sweetheart Mercedes. The moment came when he had to choose between his loyalty as a soldier and his devotion to Carmen. A dispute arose in the factory between Carmen and Michele, another cigar girl. They fought, but the struggle was of short duration, and soon Michele lay on the ground, a dagger-wound in her side. The soldiers rushed into the factory, and Jose', much against his inclinations, made the girl a prisoner and took her before his commanding officer. Carmen was committed to Jose's charge until she could be turned over to the proper authorities. Confident of her power, she exerted all her wiles to make the young man forget his oath to his country. She succeeded and he let her escape, but at the cost of dishonor to himself. Then Jose' was cast into prison, but Carmen tricked his jailers and he escaped. They fled together to the mountains, where they were welcomed by Carmen's people, the gypsies. Jose's life there was very different from the peaceful, religious atmosphere of his native village or the stirring martial days when he was a soldier. The gypsies were smugglers and he became one of their band. The uniform of a soldier, which had been a familiar and welcome sight to him in former days, was an object of fear and bate, now that he was a violator of the laws, not its defender. Jose's mother, in her quiet mountain home, was dying, mercifully unaware of her son's disgrace. Just before she passed away she gave the cross she had worn all her life to the weeping Mercedes, Jose's former sweetheart, who still loved him, and told her to give it to Jose' with her blessing. Mercedes set out on her quest, but to her surprise and grief, found that Jose was no longer an honored soldier of the Spanish king, but a fugitive from justice. Her search seemed hopeless, for none knew where he had gone. Although an outlaw, Jose' was not unhappy, for Carmen made him think he stood first in her affections, but when she met Escamillo, the noted toreador, her attitude changed. The Idol of the Spanish populace was a far more attractive figure to the beautiful gypsy than the fugitive soldier, and Jose' soon found himself supplanted by the toreador. Frantic, he reproached Carmen, but she laughed at him. Escamillo, desirous of exhibiting his professional skill to Carmen, invited her to be present at a bullfight. The girl, sneering scornfully at the jealous protestations of Jose', accompanied the toreador to the arena, where the bullfight was to take place. Mad with rage Jose' followed them. Carmen watched the bullfight with absorbed interest, and blew kisses to Escamillo as he bowed low to the plaudits of the crowd. It was her farewell to the toreador, for at that moment, Jose, leaping forward, buried his knife in her bosom. The soldiers crowded around Jose' and made him their prisoner. He gazed in a dazed manner at the dying Carmen; then feeling a gentle touch on his arm, he turned and looked into the eyes of Mercedes, his faithful sweetheart. Pityingly she told him of his mother's death, and gave him the cross and her message. Jose' bowed his head in sorrow and remorse. He had forsaken the ones who had loved him for a woman who brought him to disgrace and death. Silently he turned, surrounded by his captors, and made his way toward the prison. -- Moving Picture World synopsis
- An old mountaineer, who has secretly accumulated $5,000, hearing of the numerous bank failures, determines to draw out the money. With a miser's caution, when asked by a rough character in the village, when he was going to draw out his money, he replies that he intends to do it on the following afternoon. Then he goes to the bank, receiving the money all in gold and hides it away in his cabin. His granddaughter and small grandson are away at the time carrying water for a surveying party. The following day, the mountaineer returns to the village to lay in supplies. He is seen to visit the bank and comes out with a big sack over his shoulder, which the bad man believes contains gold. The bad man follows him and when the opportunity comes pushes him over a precipice, where he is instantly killed. To his surprise, however, he finds no gold. Being somewhat in liquor, he determines that the grandchildren know the secret of the hiding place and when he finds that they can tell him nothing, he ties the little girl in a chair, lashing her grandfather's gun with its triggers pulled back by a string, which passes over the flame of a burning candle. He then tells her only confession will save her and goes outside. The little grandson seeing his sister's danger runs to the surveying party for help. They arrive just in time to rescue the girl. The gun explodes and the shot shatters the woodwork of the window. The gold hidden there by the mountaineer comes tumbling out, and some of the shot passing on kills the murderer, who is standing outside.
- The director of the Desperation Film Company was putting on what he regarded as the greatest "water tragedy" ever written. The heroine, a magnificent swimmer, is swept overboard from a yacht and drowned while her husband-to-be sheds bitter tears on the dock. The director wept when he read the script. His leading lady stormed when she scanned it, for, as she said, "that dinky little hero gets the curtain and I don't amount to a thing." Just the same, she went out with the company when they departed to take the water scenes and trouble began at once. Hiram Statio, the melancholy cameraman, forgot to take any films along and did not discover it until the leading lady was floating about in the surf on her face. She scolded the director, while Statio was getting the film, and the next time, Just as her supposedly dead body was being picked up by the hero, a crab bit her on the toe, giving her the cue to do some grand and lofty tumbling that utterly spoiled the scene. When freed from the crab, she resigned on the spot. The director sent a call to the studio for another leading lady, but the cast director did not have a satisfactory candidate on hand. He looked over his stock of pictures, found that Pansy was listed as a graceful swimmer, saw that her photographed face was pretty and ordered her to report to the director in a bathing suit. Pansy was a swimmer, all right, and once had been young and shapely, but now was about the size of the European war debt, with the grace of an elephant. She obeyed directions, joined the company at the beach, and introduced herself as the new leading lady. The director at first told her to go away, but his cameraman made things easy for Pansy by whispering to the director, "You'd better give her a try-out. The light is failing." And so the director did. In high diving and graceful swimming Pansy was all that could be asked for, but she managed to put some unexpected ginger into the big scene of the play. In this the heroine is on the deck of a sailing boat. There is a sudden squall, the boom swings around, striking her on the head and knocking her overboard. Her little brother witnesses the accident and falls in a faint on the bed. The director and cameraman were in a rowboat some little distance away from the yacht, prepared to take the scene. When the boom was pushed around Pansy was flirting with a handsome young actor, and the boom unexpectedly landed on the back of her neck. Afrightedly she grasped it and like a cat was swung out over the water. The director yelled to her to jump and she finally did so. Then she swung toward the rowboat. The director, not noticing that the cameraman was still grinding away, reached over to help Pansy. She grabbed his arms convulsively and dragged him into the water. There was a lively unrehearsed water scene and finally Pansy and the director were dragged aboard the yacht. There the cameraman followed them and whispered to the director, "Great stuff, boss, I got every foot of it." The director called him several kinds of a fool. They printed up the picture, and while it was being run off in the projection room for the inspection of the general manager, the director waited outside in an agony of fear. Through the closed doors floated the sound of laughter. Finally the general manager and his assistant came out still laughing, and greeted the director with enthusiasm. ''I thought you were putting on a tragedy," said the general manager, "but this is the funniest slapstick comedy I ever saw. You will do all our comedies hereafter. By the way, I have changed the name of the play from 'The Ocean Cemetery' to 'The Massive Mermaid" and then he walked away. The director took all the credit he could and never explained how the comedy came to be.
- Margery Carew and her widowed sister, Anna Prentice, find work in a brokerage firm, James Gray, the junior partner, soon falls in love with Margery, while his boss, William Cleves, does his best to seduce Anna. In fighting off William's advances, Anna kills him, but Margery, hoping to protect Anna's child, takes the blame and then escapes to the West, after which she gets married and begins a new life. Following a lengthy search, the police manage to track her down, but Margery still refuses to save herself by telling the truth about the murder, even though Anna and her child died several years before in a car crash. Finally, however, because he still loves her and because he has been stricken by a deadly disease that will kill him in a few months, James confesses to the murder, thereby freeing Margery to return to her husband.
- Whitey's gang of crooks has flourished on waterfront robbery because Tom, the district attorney's secretary, has kept it tipped from the inside. Jack Morrison, police reporter for The Herald, gets next to the gang for the sake of a story later. He is suspected, however, by the crooks, and Nell, a girl of the underworld, overhears Whitey and his pals plotting to make way with the new member. She decides to "squeal," as Jack has formerly defended her from insult. The police, however, won't believe her story. Meanwhile, the gang has got Jack in its power. They determine to drop him, gagged and bound, in the river under cover of darkness. Nell again appeals to the authorities, and this time the police sergeant believes her. She and the policemen give chase in a motorboat. They reach the craft containing the crooks just after Jack has been dropped overboard. Nell dives after him while a gun battle is on, and with the aid of one of the policemen she gets him unbound and into the motorboat. After the crooks have been rounded up, Jack's editor, who has been called to the police station, says that he will be responsible for Nell. But Jack relieves his chief of that responsibility.
- A southern woman, widowed during the early days of the Civil War, lives with her new baby in her home in a small village. Receiving word that the enemy is approaching, and that the Confederates mean to make a stand in her house, she hastily departs, after ordering her faithful servant, Sam, to hide her money and jewels. Sam performs his mission, selecting a hiding place which he believes no one will discover, and is about to join his mistress when he is killed by a stray bullet. And the secret of the hiding place dies with him. Forty-eight hours later, the only members of the family are two girls, grandchildren of the woman who ordered the treasure put safely away. They have a desperate struggle to get along, but the elder girl supports them by sewing. There is a mortgage on their home, which is held by a miserly old man, who refuses to show them any mercy. He is willing, however, to give the girl the home if she will marry him, but she hates him and is in love with a younger and better man who, however, is poor. But she loves her little sister and while willing to stand poverty herself, cannot bear to think that the child will suffer. So she finally decides to accept the offer and goes to the man's house, prepared to tell him she will make the sacrifice. The child is left alone in the house, and being warned not to play with matches, she naturally does so, and sets the place on fire. The big sister bears the news while she is telling the man she hates that she will marry him. She runs off to the fire, followed by her unwelcome suitor. There she finds the house blazing fiercely. She tries to enter the place but is held back. Her unwelcome suitor has a chance to win her love, but is not man enough to make good. But the lad she always dashes through the fire and smoke and saves the little girl. The big sister decides that she will not sacrifice herself, that somehow, in some way, they will get along. She spurns her wealthy suitor, and he goes away, vowing vengeance. And good fortune comes through the fire. The little girl is playing around the fire ruins, delighted at the scene of disorder, and comes upon the treasure hidden years and years ago by the faithful servant of her ancestors. It came at the right time and proved that sometimes buried treasure is best buried until the time comes that somebody who readily needs it and can appreciate it, comes along.
- Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, is a kindly man, but a student. His fondness for literature gives his enemies a chance to plot against him, and through the machinations of his own brother, Antonio, and the King of Naples, Prospero is dethroned and Antonio assumes his throne. The conspirators are afraid to execute Prospero, who is beloved by the people, so they take him to sea, and set him adrift in an open boat with his little daughter, Miranda, expecting that they would never be heard of again. Fortunately for Prospero and the child, they drift ashore on an island. It is inhabited solely by good fairies and wicked sprites. Prospero wins the favor of the former, and is able to subdue the latter and make them subservient to his will. On this island, father and daughter reside for twelve years. Then Prospero learns by his magic, that his brother, the King of Naples and the latter's son are passengers on a ship that is sailing near the island. By aid of his powers he is able to draw the ship to the island, where it is wrecked, but Prospero so arranges it that no lives are lost. His enemies now being in his power, he proceeds to punish them. Antonio and the King of Naples are forced to wander around the island, while Ariel, a good but mischievous fairy, plays all manners of pranks upon them. Ferdinand is conducted to the presence of Prospero, and set to menial work. He meets Miranda, and falls in love with her, the very thing that Prospero had set himself to bring about. In the end, Prospero forgives the two men who have wronged him on condition that they relinquish their thrones to Miranda and Ferdinand, who have agreed to marry and live happy forever afterward.
- A man and a woman were friends in childhood, and in their "mud-pie days" planned how he would be a knight, while she would be the lady fair, who would give him her glove as a token for slaying a dragon. But the "serpent" entered their miniature garden of Eden. She was a grown-up young woman, and the future "knight" was only a small boy. She was amused at the way he followed her around and convulsed when he formally proposed by means of a grimy note written with a blunt lead pencil on a torn scrap of paper. It was so ridiculous that she kept the note, and bad many a good laugh over it. Then she married a man older than herself and vanished from the boy's life. He had somber thoughts for a time, but men of 8 do not abandon life for love, and he soon drifted back to his early sweetheart, so that it may be said that in the Springtime of life they were chums and admirers. With "the summertime," when the girl had blossomed into beautiful young womanhood, and the boy was manly and self-confident, their troth was plighted. "The other woman" came to the wedding, and the little bride rather resented the attentions she paid the bridegroom. It has been said that a woman never forgets the men who propose to her, and that the first proposal is remembered longest. So "the other woman" had a kindly place for the "man" in her heart, although she never dreamed of being in love with him. She liked, however, to think that he still remembered the "beautiful princess of his dreams," although the fact is that he had forgotten all about those experiences of his childhood. For a number of years after their wedding, the other woman did not figure in their lives. Then fate brought them to the same city to live, and their paths again crossed. The wife had aged and was gloomy. She thought far too much of her son who had passed away in infancy, ignoring the living to think sadly of the dead. Her husband's love was slowly slipping away from her, being replaced by a spirit of indifference. When the wife thought of the other woman, it was with ill-concealed dislike. She resented the fact that "the other woman" never forgot the childish proposal of the husband, and was jealous where jealousy was unfounded. In the Autumn of life they parted. It was the fault of "the other woman." Her husband was not as attentive as he should have been, and illness brought on a morbid frame of mind. Unhappily she heard her doctor telling her nurse that his patient had but a year of life to live. Then she was confronted with her great temptation. What should she do with that last year? Should she drift along as she had been, still concealing the aversion she felt for her husband, or should she enjoy the fleeting months that were left her? While debating this problem, she met the man, and he told her calmly that he was on his way to the west on a business trip. So she reached a rash decision. She believed that the man still loved her, and she thought he would make her happy. She promptly followed him, boarded the train and astonished him by her confession of love and affection. It took him but a few minutes to disillusion her, but the problem that confronted them was how the news could be kept from the husband, for the woman had left him a letter that would have blasted her name. The man took desperate chances, leaped from the flying train, and by a clever ruse, kept the note from the husband, in fact fairly plucked it out of his hands, and yet never let him suspect it. Left alone on the train, the woman was in an accident, a slight one it is true, but the shock was fatal to her in her enfeebled state, and she passed away. The dead woman's husband never knew, for "The Man" fortunately made him believe that the victim was on her way to see her old nurse when she was stricken. The wife learned of the railroad trip by accident; however, there were hasty words exchanged, and "the man'' and "the wife" separated, as they believed, forever. The winter of life opened sadly and drearily for them. Neither could forget the other, but each was too proud to make advances. The man lived in the city, the wife in the little rural community where they lived in their childhood. The wife, on an errand of mercy, passed a tiny house, and saw that it was in flames. She burst in the door, saw a baby lying helpless on the floor, and bravely tried to rescue it. The smoke overcame her, and she would have perished had it not been that her husband was passing, went in when he heard that a woman and a baby were in peril, and at the risk of his own life, saved the others. Later there were mutual explanations. The wife found that her suspicions were unjustified, and the man agreed that he had been proud and unbending at a time when a few kind words might have saved the situation. So they mutually forgave and forgot, and some years later passed through the shadows into the beyond, rejoicing that reconciliation had come before it was too late.
- On Al Falfa's not so real farm, he is able to grow such delicacies as a pitcher of beer and an alcoholic cocktail. He feeds the cocktail to his willing cow, Clara. But that drink makes her go a little wild, she who starts to chase Al Falfa through his vast and geographically diverse property. But since his farm isn't really real, Al Falfa can use some interesting techniques to get away from Clara.
- Longfellow's beautiful poem tells of the children's hour, that time of day when the little ones are permitted to meet their elders on equal ground. He describes the love that exists between the grandfather and his three little granddaughters, who each night insist upon coming into his study, where, for one golden hour they reign supreme, and he is their willing, devoted servant. As the poet says, speaking of his hero: "They climb into my turret, O'er the arms and back of my chair, If I try to escape they surround me, They seem to be everywhere." The grandfather entertains the children with fairy stories that never grow old, and the evening passes as happily for him as it does for them.
- The famous specialist was grave as he gave his verdict. His patient must go to California if she wished to regain her health. The proposed trip to the land of perpetual summer seemed a great treat to his youthful patient, but her older sister, who was to accompany her, realized fully the fight that had to be made before health was won back for the invalid. In California the younger girl soon regained her strength, and she and her sister prospered on their little farm. Love came to the older girl in the person of a young, manly farmer. She cared for him, although she admitted it to no one, and as for him, one look into his eyes was enough, but she had "little sister" to consider, and gave him no opportunity to speak his mind. The younger girl thought that the many presents of flowers and fruit which the farmer brought were intended for her alone, and, being of a very romantic temperament, mistook a passing fancy for the farmer for love. She told her secret to her sister, and the older girl, accustomed to making sacrifices for the younger, made the greatest one in her life, when she refused the farmer's proposal of marriage. Then in her diary, where she recorded the events of each day, she wrote that she had refused the man she loved, although it nearly broke her heart, because her little sister loved him. "Big Sister" had gone on an errand to a nearby town when the younger girl accidentally found the diary, and curiosity led her to open it. She read the pathetic entry, realized the love which had prompted the sacrifice, and resolved to be worthy of it. She went to the farmer and told him why he had been rejected, then leaving a note of farewell to her sister she took the train for the East and returned to her relatives. As for the older girl, she did not refuse her lover a second time. She married him and they were very happy. And her sister in the East later met the man of her choice, and never regretted the action which had won her sister's respect and gratitude.
- Over the graves of her brother and her husband, on Memorial Day, Dorothea, the little old lady, lives again in the days of her young womanhood. When war was declared in '61, John, her only brother, went to the front. Anxious to do what she could for her country, Dorothea became one of that band of brave women, who as secret service agents, risked their lives within the hostile lines. On one occasion, she was arrested and incriminating papers found in her possession. She was sentenced to be shot. A young Southern officer, touched by her beauty and youth, personally appealed to Jefferson Davis and won her release. Later, while nursing in a Federal hospital, Dorothea again met the Southerner. He was wounded and a prisoner. In the act of aiding him to escape, she was detected by her brother. When, however, she reminded John that it was to Randolph Serviss that she owed her life, he no longer opposed the means that she had taken of repaying her debt. At the close of the war, Randolph came North and married Dorothea. Little by little, the Southerner and Captain John forgot their old enmity and became close friends. Now they lie side by side in the family plot. And Dorothea, "with a touch impartially tender," strews with flowers the resting places of "the Blue and the Gray."
- When suddenly Ella elopes, her mother dies from the shock, and her father, General Darrington disinherits her. Years later, after her husband dies, Ella is taken ill and can only be saved by an expensive operation. When her appeals to her father for money return unopened, she sends her daughter Bery, who manages to soften her grandfather, and he gives her gold and a necklace. After the General is found dead from an andiron blow, and the will, which favored lawyer Lennox Dunbar, cannot be found, Beryl is arrested. Her brother Bertie arrives unexpectedly, however, and testifies that when he argued with the General, a lightning bolt caused the old man to fall and drop the andiron he was raising, which then hit him, while the will flew into the fire. Lennox, who believed Beryl innocent, rushes in with a photograph imprinted on a window which occurred when the lightning struck, proving Bertie's story. After Beryl tries to give the inheritance to Lennox, they discover that they love each other.
- Aurora Floyd was the daughter of a rich banker. While a schoolgirl she contracted a romantic attachment for her father's groom, James Conyers, and eloped with him. Her married life was unhappy, as her husband was vulgar, cruel and a drunkard. Her father, when he found how affairs were going, offered Conyers a large sum of money on condition that he leave England never to return. Conyers eagerly accepted the proposition, and Aurora returned to her father's home, not even her friends being aware that Aurora had been married. Six months later a newspaper account told of the death of the worthless groom. Aurora was now free and when John Mellish, the young squire of Feldon Park, paid her attentions, she consented to become his wife, much to her father's satisfaction. Aurora entered Feldon Hall as the squire's bride just about the time that Mellish engaged a new trainer for his race horses. In this man, Aurora, to her horror, recognized Conyers, her first husband and she realized that the story of his death was only a cruel trick. Conyers boldly blackmailed her, explaining that unless she yielded to his demands for money he would have her prosecuted as a bigamist. The note containing his threat was brought to the Hall by Steve, a half-witted stable boy. He suspected something was wrong, spied upon Aurora, and while she was out of the room returned to the room through the window, picked up the note she had dropped in her agitation, and armed himself with the squire's pistol, meaning to use it to subdue Conyers. The helpless Aurora met Conyers at a place agreed upon and turned over to him all the money and jewels she could get together. She then returned toward the house to decide her future plans. Steve, who had tracked them, now confronted Conyers and demanded a share of the spoils. Conyers refused, and started to beat Steve. The boy, wild with rage, shot him down, took the satchel of jewels and money, dropped the pistol beside his victim and escaped. The shot had been heard in the house, and Mellish and Mrs. Powell, his housekeeper, started out to investigate. Their path led them toward Aurora, and she, to elude them, retraced her steps. Thus she came upon the body, and when the others arrived she was bending over the body, the pistol in her hand. Mrs. Powell, who always hated her young mistress, denounced Aurora as a murderess, and the case against her was black. Her gallant husband, however, stood loyally by her, even when the secret of her marriage was revealed to him. In court he was at her aide, fighting desperately to save the life of the woman he loved. Aurora was convicted of murder, and was about to be sentenced, when Steve, the real criminal, was dragged in and confessed. The spirit of the man he had slain haunted him, he declared, and practically drove him into the hands of the law. Aurora humble and contrite because of her terrible experiences, meekly asked her husband to forgive and forget her, but he clasped her in his arms, telling her she was the one woman he loved, and that in the happiness of their future life they would forget the sorrows that had been.
- Susie Smith was thoroughly happy, although she was poor and an orphan. She had health, a steady job in a factory, and a sweetheart, and really did not worry because of her lack of money. But everything took a change for the worse when she "became a heroine." There was a fire panic in the factory where she worked, and Susie was the only person who could cope with the emergency. The other girls, thinking of previous disasters, became panic-stricken and tried to jump out of the window. But Susie drove them back, scared them into obeying her, formed them into line finally and marched them out of the building in some kind of order. There really was not fire, as it turned out, but had it not been for the work of one quick-witted girl, there would undoubtedly have been a heavy loss of life. The papers lauded Susie to the skies, especially when they found that she had broken her arm in an effort to restrain the frightened workers. And a rich woman read about it, decided that "poor little Susie" should have a chance, and took her to her rich home. There the girl had everything that money could buy, but strange to say, she was unhappy. She missed her old friends, the dances where she could "spiel," and that shabby sweetheart of hers. And she stole away one night, reappeared at the factory, got her old job back, and was again thoroughly, genuinely happy. For she was among the people she understood and who understood her, and did not have to worry about what the butler thought, or what was good or bad form.
- A society woman who was traveling abroad, heard with deep interest from her husband, that a nobleman was deeply attentive to their only daughter. The mother, knowing that propinquity often leads to love, arranged for her daughter to take a long ocean trip, chaperoned by the young nobleman's mother. In this way the count and the girl would have many hours of each other's society and the girl's mother felt sure that she would not long refuse the honor of becoming a countess. The girl was also wooed by a wealthy young American, of whom the family disapproved because of his lack of ancestry. He grieved over their separation, and later was completely heartbroken when news reached him that the ship had been lost and the girl he loved was reported among the missing. Still he could not believe that she was dead, and dropping all business embarked on his yacht, vowing that he would search the whole world if necessary to find her. The girl drifted to the shore of an island inhabited by a savage tribe. They would have killed her, but her miraculous escape from the attack of a venomous snake convinced them that she bore a charmed life and instead of destroying her, they worshiped her as a goddess. The young American in the meantime had carried his search into many strange lands and all on board except himself were convinced that the hunt was a fruitless one. He refused to turn back, however, and finally his boat reached the little island where his sweetheart was a queen and a prisoner. She was rescued after a lively battle with the savages, and the couple sailed away to their home in America. The parents, in their joy at their daughter's return, withdrew their objections to the marriage, and the girl wedded the man who had braved many dangers to rescue her from her "Robinson Crusoe" existence on an island in the tropical seas.
- Wealthy businessman Gilbert Rawlings is ignorant of the fact that his wife has ceased to care for him and is overwhelmed with shock when he discovers that she has gone, and receives a letter telling him that she will never return to him. Heartbroken, he pursues the eloping couple, but his chase is short: the auto in which his wife and her companion are riding plunges over a cliff and they are killed. Returning to his home, Rawlings gazes upon his infant son and his mind, effected by the shock, feels overwhelming hatred towards all womankind. He dreams that he takes his son out to the wilderness and teaches him to be a savage and to hate women. A young girl traveling with a party of tourists strays into the forest and Rawlings makes her a drudge. The son, primitive by training, yet feels a great regard for her, which Rawlings abused with hatred, and in consequence treats her with greatest severity. Finally she induces the boy to aid her to escape. Rawlings pursues them and in a fight with his son, when he is about to kill him, he suddenly awakens and finds that the dream in which he played so important a part, was only a dream, but it has a good effect, for it teaches him that his wife might have been false, but the majority of women are true.
- To curb an unwanted romance, Father sends his younger daughter on an ocean voyage--but her lover, posing as a sailor, accompanies her. His ship sunk by a fire, the dying captain marries the couple in a small boat, but shortly after landing on a desert island, the groom is killed by an octopus. Finally rescued, the Younger Sister solicits the aid of the Elder Sister in hiding her pregnancy from their father. After a secret delivery, the baby is relinquished to a farming couple. On the day of the Younger Sister's wedding, however, the child is returned, and the bride begs the Elder Sister to claim her. Scorned by her father, the Elder Sister becomes a sculptress and falls in love with a painter but, fearing scandal, refuses his proposal. While visiting the artist, the Younger Sister is shocked into confessing her past when her child falls from a window. The child is unharmed, and the husband forgives all.