The Little House in the Valley (1914)
Prentiss, a retired literary man in ill health, has created a garden solitude for himself and his young wife down in a small lonely valley. Fate toward whom Prentiss harbors much bitterness since his health began to fail, now brings a heavier stroke in the form of young David Scott, who is in charge of the preliminary survey of a new railroad, the line of which follows the narrow valley. Just preceding the arrival of David and his crew comes Valdez, a Mexican renegade, with a band of his men. Their eyes fall upon Prentiss' fine pair of horses which are being harnessed in the yard for their master's afternoon drive. Laura's servants desert her and Valdez laughs at her own feeble strength. Prentiss staggers onto the scene and falls in a faint just as David rides into the yard. He holds up the raiders, but Prentiss must be looked after and in the excitement Valdez and his men make their escape. The subsequent appearance of more of the survey party reveal part of the circumstances to Prentiss and David tells him the rest. At once in the helpless invalid's mind hatred takes possession and an almost insane determination to thwart David's plan that means the destruction of this desert solitude. David leaves the place with his surveyors much disturbed by Prentiss' bitter opposition, but remembers the raid of the Mexicans and writes a note to Laura directing her to call for help to his camp if the outlaws return. Prentiss continues to brood morbidly over how he, with his physical weakness and his loneliness, can block the threatening invasion. Laura tries to conceal her apprehensions of the return of the outlaws from her husband, but is intercepted by him that evening when she goes out to post a messenger who is to ride to the camp on the firm alarm, and Prentiss sees the note and learns her plan. On her return to the house Laura is seized and bound by Valdez and his men, who proceed to the house and find Prentiss alone. The one idea in Prentiss' mind at present hits upon a desperate plan. He tells Valdez that a man is on his way to the camp. At first murderously angry, Valdez listens to the invalid and agrees to his proposition. Prentiss pours all his money and valuables into the outlaw's hands if the latter will ride by a roundabout route to the camp while the surveyors are on their way to the house and destroy their maps and instruments. Laura has got herself free and overhears the interview and as the outlaws return to their horses in the rear of the house she takes to the road and starts for the camp on foot. She intercepts David and his rescue party and they lay a trap for Valdez. The outlaws are defeated and the booty recovered. In the meantime Prentiss has recovered consciousness and undergoes a complete lapse of memory. He sees the signs of disorder and robbery and knows that something terrible has happened. Death hastens to claim him, but before he breathes his last, David enters with Laura. Prentiss sees his lost property recovered. But seeing David, the cause of his intense hatred and passion knows no bounds and he succumbs to meet its awful weight. David promises to remain near the house of mourning, and goes forth into the night to think of the future.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Ricketts | Director |
| Robert A. Sanborn | Writer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Edward Coxen | |
| Winifred Greenwood | |
| George Field | |
| William Bertram |
