The Secret Marriage (1914)
Roger Freeman, son of wealthy Henry Freeman, returns from college to find that his parents have been matchmaking. Before they have time to persuade him to propose to the girl they have selected they discover that he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, due to overwork at college. The family physician orders him off to the country to recuperate. There he meets Mary Ellis, a country girl, and loses his heart to her. They commit the folly of a secret marriage. After their quiet honeymoon, Roger leaves Mary to go to the city, break the news to his parents and induce them to welcome his wife. During the journey the long-pending breakdown culminates in a fever, accompanied by delirium. Arriving in the city he wanders the streets until a policeman notices him and takes him home. He is put to bed and the doctor who is called pronounces it a case of typhoid. For several weeks he is unconscious. Meanwhile Mary waits in vain for news from him. A village suitor whom she rejected in Roger's favor, revenges himself on her by spreading a scandal about her and the "smooth city chap" who made a fool of her. Her name becomes a byword in the village and she is scorned by all. Her mother joins in the persecution until life is made so unbearable that she decides to end it. Leaving a note of farewell for her mother, she goes to the river's edge, but there her resolution fails. She wanders distractedly across the fields until, on a country road, a young man city-bound in an auto, offers her a ride to the city. Arriving there, a sign before a maternity hospital leads her to a refuge. In the delirium of fever Roger betrays his secret to his parents. They determine to make the best of the situation and Roger's father goes to the village to take Mary to her husband. Then he learns of Mary's supposed suicide and goes back to break the news to his son. Later Roger goes to Europe and Mary, with her infant in her arms, emerges from the hospital and is lost in the big city. Years pass. Roger returns home with the old sorrow still unhealed. Mary, living in the slum district, makes a bare living for herself and her small daughter by the needle. The girl Roger's parents had chosen for him is still unmarried. They renew their plans for the match, especially since they believe the girl will help him to forget the tragedy. At first he resists, but at last, willing to please them, he consents and makes an appointment to take the girl the next night to a fashionable café where he plans to propose to her. Meanwhile Mary has fallen desperately ill. A charity doctor called in by a neighbor declares that the case is one of starvation and that unless she has substantial food she will die. The child, unseen by the doctor and the other woman, overhears the remark. Terrified at the prospect of her mother's death, she goes into the streets intending to seek aid. The exterior of the café, inside which Roger and the girl are dining, suggests food to her simple mind. Stealing past the footman, she enters the restaurant. A waiter is about to eject her when the uproar attracts the attention of Roger's companion, who makes inquiries of the child. Her request for food for her starving mother excites the girl's curiosity and sympathy and she persuades Roger to go with her to investigate the case. Roger and his companions accompany the child to the tenement, where husband and wife are reunited.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Wilbert Melville | Director |
| Paul Powell | Writer |
| Siegmund Lubin | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Webster Campbell | |
| Dolly Larkin | |
| Joseph Carle | |
| Velma Whitman |
