The Error of Omission (1912)
Tommy Lawton is born into the world and his father, one of the common type of careless parents, neglects to register his birth certificate in the flurry resulting from having a young bull pup sent him from a friend. The dog is registered at once, however, and the contrast of the two registry offices is startling. Before the dog registry office a huge crowd clamors for attention from the overworked clerks, while at the birth registry counter the clerks yawn and nod over their neglected books. Tommy grows into a sturdy lad, and his father has the greatest difficulty in securing him a place in the public school because of his birth never having been registered. At the age of fourteen Tommy is left alone in the world by the death of his father and attempts to secure work. A truant officer intervenes and Tommy, unable to prove his exact age, is unable to look for employment. The years pass on and Tommy is now a young man, in love with pretty Eva Cushman. Feeling himself of age and desiring to cast his vote for a staunch friend of Eva's father, Tommy tries to register at the polls, but is challenged because of his youthful appearance and, not being able to prove his age, is turned away. Later he endeavors to secure a marriage license, but it is the old story; he cannot prove his age and is rejected. One morning he receives a letter advising him that he has inherited a fortune if he can prove his identity. Again the neglect of registering his birth almost loses Tommy the fortune until he happens to discover his father's old dog registration paper, on the back of which is carelessly scribbled: "Also became the father of a fine, bouncing boy on this date." With this scrap of good luck, Tommy hurries to the lawyer, proves his identity by revealing an odd birth-mark on his neck, and is rewarded with the money.
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GenresDrama
Short
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