The Will o' the Wisp (1914)
Larry Thorn, a novelist and man of wealth, loves and is engaged to Miss Julie Rider. While at a fashionable ball, Larry discovers Julia encouraging the attention of Baron Von Keller. Some nights later at the club the Baron insults Larry and an arrangement to fight a duel is made between them. The Baron, really afraid of meeting Larry, sends word of the challenge, living time and place, anonymously to Julia. Julia arrives in time to stop the duel, returns the engagement ring to Larry, and shows her preference for the Baron. Larry becomes piqued and discouraged with women and society in general and decides to go away and forget. He takes up a sort of hermitage in a river bottom section of the country, where he builds a shelter in a tree. In this vicinity there lives a blind old miser with an only daughter, very pretty, but a wild, uneducated, impulsive creature who has never known a mother's love or care. In fact, has seen few people outside of her association with the blind father. Larry chances by the old man's house and sees this odd little creature, answering to the name of Hazel. He only gives her a passing thought, but later when alone in the forest the thought of her comes back and she becomes an inspiration to him for a great novel. Allen, a wealthy farmer in the vicinity, sees Hazel and because of her odd manner and wonderful beauty, desires her for himself. He calls on her father and with a big sum of gold and whiskey buys her from the old man. Hazel, from her attic room, overhears the bargain and that night escapes to the woods. After hours of flight she walks into a bed of quicksand. Larry is startled from his sleep by her cries for help and arrives in time to save the girl from a certain death. He carries her to his camp, recognizes her and offers to take her back home. She tells him why she ran away and begs him to help her. Larry finds a home for her with an old farmer's widow, who soon brings out the good qualities in the girl, dresses her neatly and when Larry calls to see her he can hardly believe Hazel the same girl. He continues his novel with Hazel as the central figure and unconsciously falls deeply in love with her. The heavy rains set in; the rivers break their banks and the entire country is flooded. Farmer Allen, unable to get his purse back from the old, blind father of Hazel, finds his chance for revenge when he sees the old man's little farm flooded. He calls at the house, tells the old miser of the rising waters and offers to lead him to safety. The old man gets his treasure box from its hiding place. Allen wrests it from him. locks the old man in the room to die like a rat in a trap, escapes with the treasure box and rows up the river, but meets with disaster and Allen and the miser's hoard are swallowed by the whirlpool of muddy waters. Hazel, hearing of the rising water, calls upon Larry to go to the rescue of her blind father. The old man's house has been washed into the river bed, but the old man has managed to get on the roof where Larry, after some daring feats, finally rescues him and brings him to Hazel. Larry takes Hazel and her father back to his home, marries Hazel and gets a specialist to restore the old man's sight. His novel, inspired by Hazel, becomes a big success and he takes Hazel to a ball given in his honor where, in a beautiful gown, she does honor and credit to his standing, and becomes the social favorite of the season.
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| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Henry Otto | Director |
| E.D. Horkheimer | Producer |
| H.M. Horkheimer | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Henry King | |
| Jackie Saunders | |
| Madeline Pardee | |
| Mollie McConnell |
