- Mary Lane and her cousin Claiborne want to sell some land left to them by their family. Real-estate agent Roland Manning falls in love with her, and prepares a deal that will make money for both of them. However, shady land speculator Wade Dempster plots to get Claiborne drunk and swindle him out of the land. In order to get the honest Roland out of the way, he has him framed for a murder that Wade himself committed. Things look hopeless for Roland.—frankfob2@yahoo.com
- In a little Florida town, not far from the Everglades lives Mary Lane. She is the last female descendant of her branch of the Lane family. A short distance away lives the last male descendant in the person of Claiborne Ogilvie Lane. He is shiftless, lazy and a hard drinker. Among the natives Mary is known as "Lovely Mary" Lane. She is only a girl, but having to do things for herself, as her parents are dead and she is living with two old colored retainers. Aunt Becky and Uncle Joe, she is wise beyond her years. Wade Dempster, a land speculator from the north, appears in the town. He proceeds to fall in love with Mary Lane. At about the same time Roland Manning comes to town. He represents large real estate interests in the north, which are seeking to buy up valuable lands in the Everglades. At the present time the land is worth little but the State is draining the swamps and making them the most fertile in the state. Owing to a youthful promise, Mary Lane is engaged to Oscar Nelson, the son of Peter Nelson. Roland meets Mary and the two are attracted to each other. They ride over the land owned by Mary and Roland tells her frankly that the land is valuable. His attentions arouse the jealousy of Oscar, who advised Roland to leave before there is trouble. At the hotel Roland tells his firm by wire that the land is valuable and advises them to make a large initial payment. He rings for a boy to get the telegram and about the same time Wade Dempster rings for a boy to take his wire, which is to the people he represents telling them that the land is valueless. He hopes to get it for himself. The boy collects Roland's telegram and goes to Wade's room. Wade sees the wire and destroys it and substitutes his own and gives him a letter. The boy thinks he called on account of the letter and believes he has Roland's telegram, hence pays no attention. The next day at the courthouse Roland gets valuable information by looking over the deeds. At about the same time Wade offers Claiborne a small sum for the lands. Claiborne feels that he can sell them, as his interest is equal to Mary's share. He needs the money and accepts. Claiborne is intoxicated. Peter Nelson enters about this time and tells Wade that there must be something queer about the business transaction, if he has to get Claiborne Ogilvie Lane drunk to carry it through. He sees the check in Claiborne's hand. He takes it and a struggle ensues in which Peter is killed and the check torn to pieces. Oscar sees all this through the window. Wade makes his escape, taking all of the torn check as he thinks. Manning enters to try and secure an option on the land from Claiborne. He finds Claiborne intoxicated and Peter seemingly dead drunk. He picks up the revolver as the people outside, having heard the shot, enter. Roland is arrested, tried and convicted and sentenced to hard labor, according to the statutes of Florida. Oscar meanwhile goes to Wade and tells what he knows. Wade gives him money to hush it up. There are no State prisons in Florida and the convicts are placed out fixing the State roads. In one of these gangs is Roland. Mary Lane sees Roland, and loving him and still believing in his innocence, decides to try and get a commutation of his sentence. She appeals to the Governor, who tells her that he cannot help her. He suggests that under the Florida laws, however, she can hire him for her own personal work, if she can find someone to go on the bond. This gives her an idea. She gets Wade, who is only too pleased to assist her, to go on a bond. Roland is freed and forced to work for Mary Lane. Roland, however, never presumes upon her good nature and is content to do the work allotted. Uncle Joe overhears Claiborne Lane tell Wade that he will sign the deeds to the land the following morning at the office of an attorney. He tells Roland this and they prepare a plan to foil the men. Uncle Joe provides a suit for Roland who hurries away early to the courthouse. As Claiborne Lane and Wade are preparing the deeds Roland enters and orders them to stop. He tells them that under the original Spanish grants the land cannot be sold without the consent of the eldest surviving member of the Lane family, on the female side as well as the eldest surviving member on the male side. Wade is foiled but demands that Roland be arrested as he has no right to be there. Mary Lane then enters and tells them all that Roland is acting for her. Wade is surprised and discovers, that he has gone on the bond of Roland, his hated rival. He withdraws his bond. Oscar meanwhile discovers that a piece of the check, given to Claiborne by Wade in the home the day of the fight has fallen under a rug. He holds this over Wade's head. Wade is furious. He strikes Oscar and knocks him senseless. When Oscar recovers consciousness, he determines to make Wade suffer. Wade is arrested as he is about to make his get-a-way. Oscar's story and the fragment of the check prove Roland's innocence and Wade's guilt. Roland and "Lovely Mary" are united.—Moving Picture World synopsis
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