His Master's Son (1911)
At the close of the Civil War, Colonel Ten Broek, broken in health and fortune, determines to leave the land of his lost cause, and take his wife and four-year-old child James to Chicago. His negroes have all been freed by the northerners' victory, but one of them, Cyrus, the Colonel's personal servant, refuses to accept his freedom, and announces that he will follow the Colonel's fortunes wherever he may go. However, the old southerner is not destined to leave the land for whose principles he has fought, death intervening upon the day set for the departure. Cyrus, sure that he is indispensable to the widow and the boy, steadfastly refuses to desert them. Twenty-five years later, we find the Colonel's son, a prosperous young Chicago business man. His mother has died and save for the devoted Cyrus, who delights in attending to his young master's wants, James is alone in the world. In the social life of the great city, James meets and becomes enamored of Mable Ware, daughter of Frederick Ware, a prominent grain operator. The girl favors the young southerner's suit and accepts him, rejecting the advances of Justin Wood, a broker. Wood, smarting under his defeat, plans the ruin of his successful rival. His opportunity comes a few days later, when he discovers that James has taken a "flyer" in July wheat, speculating a little more heavily than is his custom. Gathering a small clique of speculators about him, Wood institutes bear raid, smashes the market until James' entire fortune is swallowed up, and his brokers demand additional margin. James receives the margin call at his rooms, and having no more money, gives up the fight. As he sinks dejectedly into a chair, he drops the margin call to the floor, and it is picked up by the faithful negro, who wonders what can be the contents of this letter which so troubles his young master. Unable to read, he seeks for a person whom he can trust to interpret the writing, and finally decides to ask his master's sweetheart. Taking the paper to her house he begs that she will read it to him, and she immediately comprehends the gravity of the situation, telling the negro that his master is facing ruin. Cyrus surprises her by telling her that his young master has been very generous to him, and that he has almost a thousand dollars saved, and asks her how he can use it to save his master. Telling the negro to take the money in his master's name to the broker's office, she tries to enlist the aid of her father, who, feeling that Wood has perhaps overreached himself in manipulating the market, places heavy buying orders for his own account and advises his friends to purchase July wheat. These heavy purchases rally the market and the negro's money having arrived in time, James is still in the game with a large profit to his credit. With the exception of Wood, all concerned are deeply grateful to Cyrus, as it was his attempt to help his master which gave Ware and his associates an opportunity for a splendid coup in the grain market, and Cyrus finds himself a favorite, not only with his master, but with the young lady, who will soon be his new mistress.
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GenresDrama
Short
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