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- A young sculptor searches for the perfect model to inspire his work.
- 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.
- 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.
- A gentle orphan discovers life and love in an indifferent adult world.
- A man is so impressed with the philosophy of the survival of the fittest and the rights of the strong against the weak that he tries to put these principles into place in his own household.
- Oklahoma lawyer Al Jennings, whose father was a famous and respected judge, is enraged at the murder of his brother Ed, shot in the back by two killers. As if that wasn't enough, he finds himself falsely accused of robbery, and while escaping those phony charges he is chased and shot by a posse. Although wounded, he manages to elude the posse but takes his revenge by robbing a country store. It's not long before he has his own outlaw gang, with headquarters at the Spike S Ranch. A local sheriff is determined to capture him, so Al and his brother Frank make plans for one last, big robbery before leaving Oklahoma forever.
- A murder victim's spirit takes revenge on the man who killed him.
- 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.
- 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.
- At the request of her dying father, heiress Laura Fairlie marries Sir Percival Glyde, despite her love for Walter Hartridge and the warnings of Ann Catherick, a half-witted girl who bears a striking resemblance to Laura. After the marriage, Glyde schemes to appropriate his wife's money. When he learns that Ann has escaped from an asylum and has perished, Glyde takes Laura to the asylum and commits her, claiming that she is Ann. He then informs everyone that his wife had died, and buries the body of the insane woman in her place. Walter and Laura's half sister, Marian Halcombe, become suspicious, however, and remembering Ann's previous warnings, discover what Glyde has done. After Glyde meets his death in a fire, Walter rescues Laura and the two lovers are reunited.
- Bertie Fawcett is a dudish chap, who believes that he has won the heart of May Vernon, the belle of the co-eds. May, however, regards Bertie as very much of a joke and is in love with Jack Mace, who is her ideal of manly beauty. May's father has no objection to Jack, personally, but does not propose that the daughter he idolizes shall wed a weakling or a ne'er-do-well. Therefore, he tells May in a letter that if "that young man wants to marry you, he must show his ability by earning his own living during vacation." Unfortunately for Bertie, he sees the letter, and egotistically jumps to the conclusion that he is the person referred to. So he hastens to Mr. Blake's house, tells the surprised old man that he accepts the offer, and starts out to make good. Blake naturally is much surprised, never having seen or heard of Bertie before, but his anger changes to mirth when May tells him how the youth has jumped at conclusions too hastily and incorrectly. Bertie finds that earning a living is not so easy as it sounds, particularly if you are a fop, and even though a fop is in earnest. He is successively a waiter, a bill poster, a village constable and a living target in a baseball sideshow, but fails to shine in any one sphere, although he smarts in all of them. And then to cap the climax, when he returns to claim his bride, he finds that May has married Jack.
- In this adventure the diplomatic free-lance and his brilliant aid in war, Nan Tremain, are again pitted against their relentless enemy, Pfaff. England and Japan have entered into a secret treaty, and extraordinary precautions are taken to prevent anything about it leaking out. The Marquis Yato, the Emperor's diplomatic adviser, brings the treaty from England, but comes in the guise of a captain of a cruiser which forms part of a squadron dispatched to Great Britain. The arrangements are that the message shall be delivered to a cabinet minister. Lord Faresdale, whose comfy home is near Clovelly, where the squadron is to anchor. Lord Faresdale goes aboard the cruiser, receives the copy of the treaty and then places it for safe-keeping in a safe in his library. In some way Pfaff has learned about the treaty and just the manner in which it would be delivered. Two of his spies are in Lord Faresdale's home as guests, one an Austrian general and the other a young noblewoman. These two dragged into the plot Capt. Mandeville, an Englishman, who is in love with the girl. By tricking him in cards and telling him false stories concerning Lord Faresdale, they secure his aid, he believing that the package he is to steal from the safe contains love letters foolishly written by the noblewoman's sister. Fortunately for the cause of England, Lord Trevor and his ward are at Faresdale's house during this time and their suspicions become aroused by certain peculiar incidents. In the end the diplomatic free-lance and his ward give aid in the nick of time and even Mandeville, the poor cat's paw, did not suffer while Pfaff and his conspirators are driven from the field.
- 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.
- 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.
- A young woman forced into servitude by her family gets more than she bargained for when her fairy godmother magically permits her to go to the royal ball.
- (Part One) The first scene shows us the outer court of the temple in Egypt, in the year 350 B.C. Here Amenartas, the Pharaoh's daughter, waits to meet her love, Kallikrates. He has just taken the vows, becoming a Priest of Isis. She urges him to renounce these vows and flee with her from Egypt. We next see them during the sacrificial ceremony in the temple. The young priest goes about his sacred office constantly feeling the eyes of the woman he loves upon him. At the close of the ceremony he can resist her appeal no longer and they make their escape. They leave the city behind them, and on the desert meet some friendly Arabs. The young priest is weak from fasting, and his wife secures for him the camel owned by an Arab chief, so that they may continue their journey. They thank their Arab friends, leave them, and on foot make their way to the water's edge. After traveling "twice twelve moons" they land with their infant son on the coast of Africa, near a rocky precipice, known as the Negro's Head. In her cave in the hollow mountain, "SHE," the white witch of Africa, who has learned the secret of eternal youth, sees the approach of the Egyptian, by her magic power. "SHE" determines that he is the perfect man, that "SHE" will have him bathe with her in the fires of eternal youth, and together they will rule the world. "SHE" summons him. In his camp in the desert the messengers of "SHE" find Kallikrates, his wife and child, and bring them before "SHE." "SHE" shows the Egyptian the fires of eternal youth and offers him her love, but when he remains true to the love of his wife, "SHE" strikes him dead. His wife, Amenartas escapes with her child. At the riverbank, the wife embarks with her child, whom she calls Tisisthanes. She swears that this child shall return and avenge his father's death, or if not he, his male descendants. Over the smoldering fires of eternal strife "SHE" tries in vain to restore the vital spark to the body of the man she loved. Unable to give her loved one life, "SHE" has his body mummified by a marvelous process, which makes him look as though he did but sleep. Beside her dead love, "SHE" weeps and prays, that though "SHE" cannot restore him to life, some day, though it be in the remote centuries to come, her love will be reincarnated, and return to claim her. (Part Two) We now see a room in England, in the year 1885 A.D. Holly, an Englishman, whose face is so ugly that it has won him the appellation of "the monster," receives, by the will of his friend, the fortunes and custody of that friend's son, Leo Vincent. This child is the direct descendant of the Priest of Isis, whom "SHE" destroyed centuries before. With the child, is sent a letter of instructions and an antique chest. The letter explains that Leo is to open the chest on his twenty-fifth birthday and follow the instructions it contains. Through the ages '"SHE" waits beside the body of her dead love, still praying for his reincarnation and return. On his twenty-fifth birthday, Leo opens the chest and finds in it the story of his ancient ancestor and the information that although many men of his family had spent their lives in seeking "SHE." None of them had ever found her. Leo also finds instructions to carry out the work, to seek "SHE," learn her secret of eternal youth, and then destroy her. Leo determines to set out on the mission. Leo and his guardian, Holly, approach the shores of Africa, and note the strange rock, the Negro's Head. "SHE," in her cave, sees in a vision, Leo approaching. He strongly resembles his ancient ancestor, and "SHE" firmly believes he is the reincarnation of her ancient lover. "SHE" sends for him. Through rocky caverns Leo's boat glides up the river toward the hollow mountain. At an ancient landing place, now fallen into ruins, Leo's boat is stopped by a tribe of natives, who pay allegiance to "SHE." They blindfold Leo and Holly and lead them to the cave of "SHE." "SHE" welcomes Leo as her lost love. He tells her he has come to destroy her, to revenge the death of his ancestor. "SHE" gives him the knife from her own girdle and. baring her bosom, bids him strike. Before her unveiled beauty, Leo is powerless to destroy her. "SHE" then bids him follow her and leads them through a strange passage. In a rocky cavern "SHE" shows Leo the mummy of his ancient ancestor, and so like is it to the young Englishman, that he feels he is gazing upon himself. "SHE" then destroys the mummy as she feels she has found her living love. "SHE" leads Holly and Leo over a rocky precipice to the cave containing the "fires of eternal youth." "SHE" begs Leo to step into the flame so that he, too, will never die. Leo fears to take the step. To encourage him "SHE" steps first into the flames. The quality of the fire has changed in the centuries since "SHE" last bathed in them. "SHE" suddenly shrivels up before the eyes of the astonished men. "SHE" grows suddenly old, until she resembles an ape. With outstretched arms, and a cry to Leo not to forget her, "SHE" dies. Holly and Leo, half crazed with the terrible sight they have witnessed, find their way back to the native village. They are directed, by an overland route, as to how they can leave the country and they do so. Safely returned to England, Leo, whose golden hair has been turned white from his horrible experience, destroys all records of "SHE," the mysterious. His family has been avenged.
- Major Sholto, a retired British army officer, who has amassed wealth in India in a mysterious manner, dies suddenly. His two sons were unable to find any trace of the wealth. Search the house patiently, and at last in an attic, concealed by a secret panel, discovered a brass bound box. It contains jewels of almost fabulous value and a letter, telling them that Mary Morstan, the orphan daughter of one of Sholto's brother officers in India was entitled to an equal share in the treasure. Thaddeus, the younger brother, is willing to carry out his dead father's wishes, but Bartholomew, the elder, insists that they alone should possess the jewels. Finally Thaddeus, unable to persuade his brother to relent, writes Miss Morstan an anonymous letter, telling her that she has been wronged, and naming the place where they can meet. Miss Morstan, perplexed by the strange communication, consults Sherlock Holmes. Holmes and Dr. Watson, his associate, keep the appointment with Miss Morstan and are led by Thaddeus Sholto to his home. Thaddeus tells Miss Morstan of her inheritance, and that he intends to force his brother Bartholomew to surrender her share of the treasure. They reach the Sholto mansion, and Thaddeus goes to his brother's room to summon him. But he comes dashing downstairs, terror stricken. Holmes and Watson dash up the stairs, leading to the room. There, huddled in his chair, is Bartholomew and on his breast a torn sheet of paper, with five words scrawled upon it, "The Sign of the Four." The treasure is gone. A quick examination shows that the man has been killed by a poisoned thorn which is lodged in his head. In the garret Holmes comes upon fresh evidence of intruders. In the heavy dust are impressions of a boot and of a wooden leg, and the imprint of two little bare feet. The detective hurries to the roof, where, dangling to the ground below, is a heavy rope. Securing a bloodhound he tracks the fugitives down, the chase finally leading him and his coworker, Dr. Watson, to a little ship-yard, where he learned that a man with a wooden leg, accompanied by a little East Indian, had hired a motorboat and sailed up the river. Holmes, in another boat pursues. The fugitives are captured, but not before they throw the treasure overboard. Then Jonathan Small the man with the wooden leg, and his faithful follower, little Tonga, whose deadly blow pipe had killed Sholto, are brought to Holmes' rooms and the casket opened. The jewels are not there. The treasure had disappeared forever.
- Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.
- An ill-fated pair of teenage lovers are destroyed by the feud between their families.
- 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.
- A messenger boy is wrongfully accused of stealing bonds worth $20,000.
- During the French and Indian war, while America was still under the rule of England, Col. Munro was the commander of Fort William Henry, in New York State. His two daughters arrived from England, and pushed their way into the wilderness determined to join their father. The last stage of their journey was made under the escort of a young army officer. Major Heyward, one of their father's most trusted officers, and who was deeply in love with Alice, the younger girl. Their guide was a treacherous Indian, who had planned to lure them into the wilderness and make them captives. They were saved, however, by a chance meeting with a trapper and his two Indian companions, who were men of reputation throughout that wild region. The trapper, American born, had lived with Indians all his life, and because of his skill with his rifle was known as Hawkeye. The Indians were the last of the tribe of Mohicans, who at one time ruled the country that is now New York City. But they had been driven back by the encroachments of the white men, and made their homes in the then wild region around what is now Lake George. Through the aid of this trio, the little party of whites were led toward the fort, but their treacherous guide escaped, and backed by the Huron Indians, a hostile tribe, followed and attacked them. During the attack the girls were captured, and carried off to the Hurons' village, Heyward and Hawkeye, disguised as a medicine man and his trained bear, by skill and daring, managed to rescue the younger of the two girls, but the elder was still in the power of Magua, their former guide. He was cornered at last with his fair captive, and in an effort to rescue her, Uncas was killed. His death was avenged by the unerring rifle of Hawkeye. The old chief, the last of his tribe, mourned his dead, comforted by Hawkeye, who tells him, "The gifts of our color may be different, but God has so placed us as to journey in the same path. I have no kin, and like you, no people. The boy has left us for a time, but, sagamore, you are not alone."
- This picture tells the story of Lucy Dane, a Canadian lumberman's daughter, and of Will Harding's love for her. Will is a worthy young surveyor and Lucy feels honored to have his love, and returns it. Jose, a half-breed trapper, adores Lucy and necessarily dislikes Will, whom he correctly counts his successful rival. More, he bears Will a grudge for responding to Lucy's cries for help when he forced his attentions on her in a lonely neck of the woods. His chance to even matters with Will comes shortly when he fastens on the surveyor responsibility for the shooting of the latter's assistant, of which the half-breed is himself guilty, having shot the assistant from ambush in mistake for Will. Jose claims he witnessed Will's alleged deed and his falsehoods are believed by the lumbermen. Rarely are the courts resorted to in that portion of the North where these events transpired and the rough lumbermen quickly decide to lynch Will. Lucy hears of the fate intended for her sweetheart and cuts his bonds. Further, she sends the lumbermen off in the wrong direction when they set out to recapture Will. The fugitive is spied by the half-breed, who steals up from behind and attempts to knife him. The surveyor turns just in time, and in the ensuing struggle the half-breed is wounded and falls over a precipice. At this juncture Will is retaken by the lumbermen. They are leading him to his execution, when the faithful Lucy encounters her sweetheart and whispers: "Ask for a drink at the brook!" Will follows her suggestion, and on stooping to drink finds a revolver which Lucy has placed there for his use. But he is overpowered when he attempts to use the gun and despite Lucy's efforts seems doomed to die. Jose, the guilty half-breed, dying at the bottom of the precipice, calls for help. His cries are heard by Lucy, who responds and finds Jose expiring and repentant. He wishes to clear his conscience before facing his Maker and tells Lucy that he shot Will's assistant. He puts his confession in writing and, relieved, passes peacefully away. In the meantime the lumbermen have completed the preparations that will make an innocent man pay the penalty of another man's crime. Already the noose is about Will's neck and a death prayer on his lips and then, in the nick of time, Lucy arrives with the precious confession, and Will gathers his faithful sweetheart to him in the tenderest scene that ever closed a thrilling picture.
- Julie de Mortemar, the ward of Cardinal Richelieu, is in love with Adrian de Mauprat, a soldier of fortune. Louis the Thirteenth is in love with her himself, as is also his favorite, Count de Baradas. Cardinal Richelieu, in order to protect his ward from the King, marries her to de Mauprat. Under the influence of Baradas, King Louis issues an order for the annulment of the marriage and demands that she return to court. Baradas conspires with Gaston, Duke d'Orleans, a brother of Louis the Thirteenth, to dethrone the King and murder his prime minister, Cardinal Richelieu. Baradas poisons de Mauprat's mind against Richelieu and induces him to join in the conspiracy against the King. The conspirators attempt to murder Richelieu. De Mauprat enters his chambers at night, but he meets Richelieu, who proves to de Mauprat that Baradas has lied to him in showing that the Cardinal was de Mauprat's enemy. The conspirators are at the door to murder Richelieu, but the Cardinal and de Mauprat trick him by pretending that Richelieu has been strangled in his sleep. The conspirators have sent a document to Count de Baradas, who, at the head of his army, is on the French frontier. This document contains the names of all concerned in the conspiracy. Richelieu, by the aid of his spies, obtains possession of that document, exposes the conspirators to the monarch and assumes his old position at court as the Prime Minister of Louis Thirteenth. The husband of his ward is made to have no regrets for his loyalty in the Cardinal's great time of need.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Under the pangs of starvation, Joshua Stephens, the double of John Hinton, a charlatan of the stock market, agrees to serve a ten year sentence on the conditions that his widowed daughter and her child will receive $500 a month for every month he serves. Through his bravery, Joshua saves the life of Detective Clancy, and is pardoned. Searching for his daughter, he discovers that Hinton failed in his contract, and that she, owing to circumstances, was forced to place her child in an asylum. Hinton learning of the pardon, and wishing to return under his old business name, has his lawyer convince Joshua that he and his daughter should flee from the law to some unknown village, where they will be well provided for. Assured of happiness for his loved ones, he relents. Suspected of some crookedness, Hinton is visited by Detective Clancy, who warns him that, although he saved his life, if he is caught swindling he will take the measure of the law. Money crazed, Hinton continues, forgetting the heeding of Clancy. Swindling in a big deal, he decides to make a getaway. To make it successful, he writes Clancy a letter that the fugitive is hiding in the country. Arriving at the home of happiness, Clancy puts poor old Joshua under arrest. Disheartened, he tells Clancy he is innocent. His daughter begs assistance. Her earnest pleadings wins Clancy's confidence, and he determines to trap the real crook.
- A young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-hearted, grasping uncle.
- The little girl tripped into the library one evening "to kiss papa good night." She found him with a doll in his hands, a shabby disreputable toy, which had never been of any great intrinsic value. It puzzled the little girl and she asked questions. The father was in a reminiscent mood that evening, so he took his little daughter on his knee, and told her the wonderful history of the shabby doll. It seems that years before a friendless little newsboy met a little girl who was beautiful and kind and rich. The boy was able to do some favors for the little girl, and she was so kindly in her appreciation of them that the boy decided nothing was too good for her. Therefore at Christmastime he wasted an extraordinary amount of money, he thinks now it was twenty cents, in the purchase of a doll, which seemed to him to be a thing of beauty. Well, the years passed, and the ragged newsboy grew up to be a fine, manly youth, while the little girl developed into a beautiful woman. They loved each other, but the girl's father pointed out that the young man did not have sufficient funds to support the girl in the station of life to which she was accustomed. The young man went west to make a fortune, and at first had many trials and suffered long from illness. When he made the fortune and came east with it the girl he loved had disappeared. He learned that her father had lost all his money, and that the girl had wandered out into the world to earn her own living, but he did not know where she was. Then one day while a guest at a house party, a child displayed the doll she had taken from the trunk of her governess, and the governess came in to reclaim it, and the boy recognized the girl he had sought and everyone rejoiced and the marriage bells rang soon afterwards. The little girl who heard the story rejoiced when she found that her parents were the principals in it, and vowed she would cherish "the shabby doll" as long as she lived.
- The productions from Thanhouser's mature period, 1915-1917, clearly show the advancements that set the stage for the first cinematic golden age, the 1920s. Such advances are evident in this surviving shortened version of "Fires of Youth": detailed character development by veteran actor Frederick Warde (and in a smaller role, at least in the shortened version, by Jeanne Eagels), mature editing techniques, special lighting effects, intelligent story development, realistic use of locations, fluid dialogue inter-titles, complex staging and access to better cameras with the defeat of the Patents Trust. Acclaimed French stage and film director Emile Chautard was brought from Éclair studio in France to direct.
- While a wealthy couple were out automobiling one day, they saw a moving picture factory and curiosity led them to enter. They were much impressed with what they witnessed, and it struck them that it would be an excellent idea to have a film made of the approaching wedding of their only daughter. Desirous of surprising the young people, the old folks took no one into their confidence, and bride and bridegroom, minister and wedding guests, had no idea that they were posing before the camera. The bridal couple went away on their honeymoon and had a foolish silly quarrel, such as often befalls young married people. The bridegroom was haughty, the bride was indignant, and declared her intention of immediately proceeding to Reno. The bridegroom said he didn't care, and at the time he really thought he meant it. Their matrimonial bark was just on the verge of being hopeless shipwrecked, when a telegram arrived from the old folks at home. It invited the bridal couple to dine with the girl's parents and announced that the latter had a surprise for them. The unhappy couple talked it over, and decided, for the parents' sake, to pretend to be friends for a while at least, until the arrangements for their divorce were nearer completion. The wife knew her parents had an old-fashioned prejudice against divorce, and wanted to postpone giving them pain as long as she possibly could. The surprise was really a surprise to them. It came off at a moving picture theater and was a film story of their own marriage. As they looked upon it and realized how they had promised to love, honor and cherish each other, the differences between them became very small indeed. Before the film had been run off the bride was weeping in her husband's arms, and he was telling her that it was all his fault, while she remonstrated and declared she alone was to blame. So the surprise was a surprise indeed, and it reunited a young couple who had been fast drifting apart.
- 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.
- A young girl is kept ignorant of her mother by her aunt. After her aunt dies, the girl is used by crooks and arrested. In prison she meets a kindly woman, who is married to a judge. The woman, unbeknownst to the girl, is her mother, and adopts her. The companion of the deceased aunt, in the midst of a ball, denounces the mother and reveals her secret to the judge and guests. The judge will not forgive his wife, so the mother and daughter leave and work among the slums to benefit humanity. Eventually, the judge relents, and seeks his wife for forgiveness, but he is too late.
- 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.
- A little boy, while walking with his mother one day through a park, noticed a young man with a dog which was doing some remarkable tricks. The mother and son approached, and the young woman, who was with the man with the dog, said that Lady, that's the canine's name, saved her husband from an unjust conviction. Then she told this story: The young man was a clerk employed by a contractor. The girl had been employed in the local telephone exchange, and they were expecting to be married. The young man s immediate superior was the cashier, whose reputation was of the best, although in secret he was a gambler and a spendthrift. He became seriously involved and decided to steal money from the concern and cast the blame upon the clerk. The next time the clerk was sent to the factory with the weekly payroll, the cashier managed to substitute an empty satchel for the one containing the money. His dog, Lady, was the only witness and frustrated the cashier's plan by shifting the money satchel into its proper place. When the clerk was a short distance from the factory, which was in a country place, he noticed a man lying in the road apparently unconscious. When he went to the assistance of the victim the latter sprang upon the clerk and then searched the auto for the money. But again the canine rescued it. Undaunted by these failures, the cashier decided to try another scheme. The head of the firm drew a personal check for $20, and asked the cashier to get the money for him. The cashier raised the amount to $20,000, and sent the young clerk for it. Later the clerk was forced to admit that he had seen the cashier go directly into his employer's office, while the employer swore that he had received $20. The cashier, however, had a self-addressed envelope prepared, slipped the large bills inside, mailed them to himself at his home, and was ready for the explosion he knew was coming. It happened that the contractor's account was overdrawn by the $20,000 check, and the bank officials communicated with him. The cashier declared he had given a $20 check to the clerk and had received $20 from him on his return from the bank. The clerk swore truthfully that the check was $20,000, and that he had given that sum to the cashier. The story was not believed, and when the cashier virtuously insisted upon being searched and the money was not found, the clerk was placed under arrest. Before he was led away he tried to pet his dog, but to his grief the animal shrank away from him and fawned around the cashier, who gloatingly remarked, "This dog knows a crook when she sees one. I'll care for her while you are in jail," and when he went home that evening the cashier took the dog with him. In the letter box he found the envelope with the money, and after placing a few bills in his pocket, replaced the others in the envelope and hid it behind a picture. His creditor called, was surprised at being paid in full and induced the cashier to again visit the gambling house, and see if his luck had not changed. They left the dog, locked in the room. There was a telephone, and the dog removed the receiver with his teeth, a trick his master had taught him. Then he barked into the mouthpiece. The clerk's sweetheart at the telephone exchange recognized the dog's bark, and after looking up the number of the subscriber went to the house. The dog greeted her excitedly, led her to the framed picture on the wall, and when she failed to understand, jumped, grabbed the wire and brought the picture crashing to the floor. In the back of it she found the envelope with the money. The girl, realizing the value of the evidence, summoned the police, and while they were examining the house, the cashier returned. He was placed under arrest, but managed to extinguish the lights and leap out of the window. The dog followed, tracked him to his hiding place in an alley, and led the officers there. The fugitive tried to shoot, but the dog saved the policeman's life by jumping in front of him and being injured herself. Then the cashier was overpowered and led a prisoner to the station, where the young clerk was set free. The policeman who had narrowly escaped being shot bent over and patted his canine preserver. After hearing the story the mother and son congratulated the young couple on having such a sagacious animal, and walked away.
- 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.
- During World War I, a countess and her young son volunteer to don disguises and take an important secret message through enemy lines.The fluid editing and vastly more dramatic cinematography (especially the use of close shots for expressiveness and intimacy) are part of the extremely rapid advances in the artistry and technique of the film medium compared to just a year earlier.
- 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.
- The name of Audubon is one to conjure with to the little daughter of a widow who has made a hobby of the study of birds and their welfare, and has instilled this same love into the heart of her daughter. Living next to the lady and her child are a widower and his son. The widower believes in everything the widow believes in, but he has never paid much attention to her Audubon theories or bothered to teach his son anything concerning the protection of birds. The two families are friends, and the two children play together a great deal. Their first quarrel arises, however, when the little girl finds the boy trying to rob a bird's nest. While he is up in the tree she goes after her mother to aid her in saving the bird's eggs. The little boy comes out of the tree, but is very angry at his little friend and goes off home in a huff. That night both children have the same kind of dream. In the dream the spirit of Audubon comes to them. He is much pleased with the little girl, but angry with the boy for not loving birds. He takes the children, and they go wandering off into foreign lands. They observe birds of all species, making their nests, feeding their young, making love in bird fashion and doing all the hundreds of things that make birds interesting the world over. The lesson of the dream has been so vivid that he wants to apologize to his little friend and tell her how sorry he is for his action of the day before, but when he gets to her house learns that she and her mother have gone to the big Audubon celebration, which is being held by lovers of birds in honor of the big man who first went on record as the friend of the little feathered things. He begs his father to take him to see it, too. At the celebration both father and son are delighted with the parades and the floats and the speeches. The little boy decides that he will become a champion of birds from henceforth, and when he and his father meet the little girl and her mother, he proclaims his intention. Both the boy and his father are taken into the society, and as they watch a wreath being placed on a monument in commemoration of the man who loved birds the spirit of Audubon rises above the top of the monument and smiles lovingly at his latest adherents.
- Lorna Dugal, the little daughter of an English nobleman, is carried off by her father's enemies, the Doones, when she is five years old. Sire Ensor Doone had been banished from court, and he and his family had established themselves in a well-protected valley, becoming outlaws and highwaymen. To this den of robbers little Lorna is carried, partly for revenge, and partly in the hope that when she grew to womanhood, she could be forced into marriage with one of the Doones, who would thus secure her fortune. John Ridd, then a little boy, returning from school saw the helpless child being carried off by the Doones, and at once became interested in her. Lorna is told she is a Doone and believes it. While on a fishing trip, young John, soon after, accidentally finds a hitherto unknown entrance into Doone valley. Here he meets little Lorna, and the children become fast friends. They arrange to meet often, unknown to the Doones, and through many years their friendship continues. Finally, when Lorna has reached the age of sixteen, John wins her consent to become his wife. In a heroic fight he rescues his love from the hands of the outlaws and brings her to his mother's home. Here as their wedding is being celebrated they are attacked by the leader of the Doones, who fires at them through the window of their home, and wounds Lorna. The enraged bridegroom rushes from the altar in pursuit of the coward. They engage in mortal combat on the heath at the edge of a quagmire. Here providence intervenes. The Doone leader in the struggle steps from solid ground, and is swallowed up in the quicksand, leaving John to return to the arms of his bride, now sage from further persecution.
- After learning that her stepfather, John Braun, is a spy, Ruth leaves him and starts out upon a cross-country journey. In her travels, she sees a plane crash to earth and rushes to assist its pilot, John Barker. The two fall in love and are married. In the midst of their honeymoon, war breaks out and John is called to his post, leaving Ruth alone with only the servants to protect her. In John's absence, the enemy invades the countryside, commandeers the Barker house and imprisons Ruth in her room. Meanwhile, John takes leave to search for his wife. Managing to get through the enemy line, he arrives just as Ruth, enraged at the action of the invaders, dynamites the cellar of the house. As the building explodes, Ruth and John escape in his plane.
- Born in a prospector's camp, orphaned by a flood, and taken in by unwilling, unwelcoming relatives, Mercy grew up dodging blows and curses with equal dexterity and indifferent success. Once while dodging she fell and was badly hurt. When she arose from her sickbed she had the choice of walking forever with a crutch or not walking at all. She chose the crutch. In the primitive society of Rhyolite, the mining-camp town where she lived, there was no niche for a cripple. All girls of her age shunned her. A stranger rode into Rhyolite one day, who gave short replies to the inquisitive. Only once did he pay attention to anyone in town and that was when a lounger seized Mercy's crutch and tantalizingly held it beyond her reach, but the tormentor quickly surrendered it when the stern-faced stranger demanded its return. The stranger rode away and was not seen in town again. "Wiley shall be caught today," the sheriff declared to his posse several days later. The men exchanged significant glances, as one of their number uncoiled his lariat from the saddle bow. Mercy overheard the remark and was worried, for she felt that she knew who they meant. She had seen the stranger in the mountains hiding, and fancied she saw him creep into a deserted cave. The ride that the little cripple made to save the fugitive is still talked of in the range country. She reached the cave in safety, and found there the stranger, wounded and alone. Escape was impossible for the sheriff's posse soon arrived and surrounded the cave, but Mercy, with leveled rifle, defied them to approach. Then the sheriff surprised them all. "Don't fire, boys," he called to the posse, "This here is Ned Franey, the new marshal over at Vista." Half in a daze Mercy heard the stranger explain that he had trailed Wiley, the outlaw to the cave, and after a desperate fight, had overpowered him. The posse disappeared into the cave and came back, dragging a handcuffed prisoner. "But there's going to be no necktie social, boys," explained Franey, "He's my prisoner and he stands trial at the county seat." The posse reluctantly agreed and led the prisoner off. Franey turned to the girl, who looked away in confusion. "What's yer name," he inquired. Mercy, with, averted face, told him. Franey took her two hands in his and drew her to him. "Mercy Tanner," he repeated, "Ef that ain't the prettiest name." And so happiness came to little Mercy, who had never known it before.
- A romantic tale from Shakespeare's late career, concerning the trials of the virtuous Princess Imogen.
- 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.
- May Smalley is a simple little country girl with whom Jack, a youth whom she has known since childhood, is very much in love. When a traveling show, consisting of a hypnotist and a Hindoo magician comes to the opera house in their little town, the two young people are among the other interested spectators who flock to see the performance. May's youth and beauty attract the hypnotist, who plans to lure her away from her home. He sends May a message that he has a communication for her from the spirit world. Against the protests of Jack, her escort, May goes behind the scenes after the performance to meet the great hypnotist, who fascinates her with his wiles. The hypnotist is an unscrupulous villain, and seeing that May is thoroughly impressed with his few tricks and considers him quite superhuman, he induces her to follow him when he leaves the town. How Jack proves himself to be a youth of resource as well as courage, and the important part he played in May's deliverance, by the Hindoo fakir, is well told by the picture. Finally the hypnotist is shown in his true light. May is disillusioned, and comes to decide that Jack is just about the kind of protection she needs in a world of uncertainty.
- Little Herman, a queer-looking magician, juggles cannon balls, ducks lamps and a variety of other articles in a surprising and terrifying fashion. He even shoots himself out of the mouth of a cannon, and then shoots himself in again. This stunt reminds us of the man who jumped into the bramble bush, but Little Herman is more wonderful even than he.
- The story is centered about an oval diamond, a priceless gem, found by a South African miner on his claim. His possession of it has aroused the envy of his stepbrother, Major Dennison, his former partner, and the latter's son, Arthur Dennison, and of four miners who owned adjacent claims. To escape their plotting to gain possession of the stone, the owner and his daughter, Sylvia, left for America. Shortly after their arrival in the United States, however. Major Dennison and his son had effected an automobile accident with the taxicab in which Mr. Daunt and his daughter were riding, had killed his stepbrother, and had escaped with diamond. Later, on her search for the gem, Sylvia had gone to her uncle's house where she had been imprisoned and restrained from going beyond the high walls which enclosed the plane. All this had happened before the beginning of the play. Things of importance for Sylvia do not begin to happen until the entrance of Robert Ledyard, impressionable youth, over the garden wall. On a trip south, Robert discovers that there is something mysterious and unfathomable about the house next to the one in which his uncle, whom he is visiting, lives. To further his suspicions, he discovers a very hampered and unhappy looking girl in the enclosed yard. Feeling certain that she is in trouble, he throws a note to her in which he offers his services, and asks her to nod her head if he can be of assistance. Hardly waiting for a reply, he follows his note over the garden wall, and learns the story of her distress. The complications which follow with the return of Major Dennison and his son before Robert has time to return to his uncle's house, start Robert's fight for the possession of the oval diamond. Robert escapes, eludes now Major Dennison and his son, and later the four miners, who, too, have come to America determined to possess the diamond. He finds the diamond a thousand times and loses it again. It travels through hundreds of hands during the brief five thousand feet of its existence, but in the end it comes back to stay in the hands which own it. Sylvia marries Robert. They start north on their wedding trip. In his pocket the young bridegroom carries a small package which he carefully guards, feeling nervously now and again, to see that he has not lost it. Following them is a mysterious character who watches and shakes his head shrewdly as he sees the evident feeling of insecurity which possesses Robert. As the young bride and groom sit on the rear platform of the train the stranger appears before them, removes his mustache, and demands at the point of the pistol, that Robert hand over the small package in his pocket. It is Colby, one of the miners. Knowing that resistance is futile, the young man hands over his guarded package, and the thief drops from the speeding train. After he had gone, the young husband laughs, and pulls from an inside pocket the real diamond. The one he had given to Colby was paste.
- Jack, Helen's brother, never fails to defend her against bad boys who tease. When he slaps Tim for imposing on Helen, Jack is threatened with the dreadful things "big brother Bill" will do to him when he gets home the next day. This doesn't scare Jack. But little Helen worries so that that night she dreams of a ferocious giant called Bill who is on the point of overpowering her brother, when she wakes up. Tim's champion proves no such Titan as Helen has dreamed, and Jack gives him the trouncing of his life.
- After having been wrongly accused of murder and robbery, a heretofore kindly and gregarious weaver becomes a nasty, bitter, lonely old miser.