The Catch of the Season (1914)

Frances Dean, though without much fortune, is a peach of a girl, and at the summer camp a number of most eligible young men are bitter rivals for her favor. She is an ardent angler, and her suitors pretend much enthusiasm for this sport, and suffer much inconvenience. The other and wealthier girls of the camp are thrown into a flutter of excitement by the news that the young Earl of Durham is to visit the place, and his failure to appear causes intense disappointment. Jack Deering appears on the lake. He is a modest, unassuming young fellow, and attracts the attention of no one except Frances. Jack and Frances soon form a warm friendship, based on their mutual delight in fishing. Observing this friendship, the original suitors jealously increase the ardor of their attentions to Frances, who at length intimates that she will give her hand to the suitor catching the largest fish of the season. In her heart she has no doubt that this will be the expert Jack, but luck is against him, and up to the last day of the fishing season each of the other men has a larger fish to his credit. Jack is in despair, and, in secret, so is Frances. Then Frances proves that she is no true sport; she resorts to a mean little trick, though no one ever finds her out. She goes and buys the biggest fish she can find in the market and while she decoys Jack away from his rod, she employs a boy to attach it to his hook. Jack wins with the largest fish on record in that region. Not until their engagement is formally announced does Frances and the bitterly disappointed crowd know that Jack Deering is in reality John Deering Stanley-Rockbridge, Earl of Durham.

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Summary Details
Running Time11 min
GenresComedy Drama Short