The Shriner's Daughter (1913)
William Lambert and George Goodrich were business partners and love rivals for the hand of Anne Cortell. When Anne accepted Lambert and they were married, Goodrich's jealousy knew no bounds. A few years into the marriage Anne dies, leaving Lambert a widower and single father of their daughter Helen. In passing Lambert's house, Goodrich sees him leave for a Shriners' meeting, his child left in the maid's care, and sees a chance for revenge. He steals the child and goes West. Returning from the Shriners meeting, Lambert is heartbroken over his child's mysterious disappearance. Meanwhile, Goodrich, posing as Helen's father, becomes ill and is visited by Mission workers, one of whom pities the child and adopts her. Later, Goodrich tries to prevail on the woman to give the child back to him. Her love for the child has grown and rather than part with her, she tries to buy him off and pays him a sum of money. This opens to Goodrich a new field of usefulness for the child: better to let her live with the kind woman while he collects the toll. 10 years later, Goodrich is still imposing his toll on the woman, whose love for the girl is so great that she pays Goodrich the money he demands. Helen, now grown to young-womanhood, enters a hospital as a trained nurse and meets a young doctor. He falls in love with her and presses his suit, but she refuses him, giving no reason. One afternoon, while the doctor is at the house pleading with Helen to marry him, her foster-mother comes out of the house and he asks for her permission, which is refused, she answering that there is no objection. Goodrich appears and beckoning to Helen, tries to secure from her more money. She, frightened, gives it to him and tries to hurry him off. He goes, but the doctor has seen, and so upon Helen's return, when he questions her, she tells him the story. He tries to overcome her objection by saying that he loves her for herself alone, but she still refuses. Lambert, after all these years of grieving for his daughter, has found no means of consolation except through devotion to the Shrine. He embarks for Santa Barbara to attend the convention of the Shriners on their "Hands around the State" tour. While attending the festivities, he is overcome by the heat. The young doctor, Helen's lover, who is also a Shriner, is the first at his side, and has him taken to the hospital, where he is placed under the care of Helen. Later, Lambert now convalescing, is being wheeled by the young doctor and Helen through the grounds. Lambert recognizes his former partner and rival even through all the lines of age and dissipation, and asks the girl who he is. She tells him that it is her father. Looking into her face, he sees there the likeness between this girl and his dead wife, and the whole magnitude of Goodrich's scheme appalls him. He takes his daughter in his arms and he tells her the story. Later, Goodrich has been disposed of by due process of law, and Helen, the young doctor and her real father, make a pretty picture as they happily piece together the story which has made up their lives.
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Domestic
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Worldwide
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Ricketts | Director |
| Julius Frankenburg | Writer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Edward Coxen | |
| Winifred Greenwood | |
| George Field | |
| Charlotte Burton |
