Moving Picture World (Jan-Jun 1910)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 489 into the abyss. Fortunately a rock breaks her fall and holds her. The young guide arrives at this moment. He understands the danger which he has escaped, but generously swings himself into the abyss and saves the woman. The old man's feelings are changed by this great self-sacrifice, and embracing each other they remain good friends from this Lime on. LUX FILMS. A DRAMA ON THE REEF.— This episode embraces the mercantile profession in many of its various phases. The splitting of a happy family when the father goes to his ship, the departure from port, the wreck of the vessel, the shipping offices and the attempt to recover the cargo stowed aboard, mo dishonest shipping agents attempt to smuggle gold dust, and use for this purpose the vessel of a certain Captain Roberts, who, unbeknown to himself, ships the same. Shortly after, the vessel is wrecked on the celebrated Silver Reef, a much-dreaded group of rocks close to the coast, and goes to pieces. The next day the Captain's children determine to go and find "their Daddy." At last they do discover him, with several of his crew, washed ashore and apparently dead. The Captain recovers, however, and helped by his two brave little ones struggles towards home. Previous to this the two shippers have endeavored to recover the bullion they have lost, and after a perilous journey succeed in recovering it. Bearing the heavy case between them, they succeed in raching the rocky eminence that overlooks the reef and there fall asleep. Creed is rapidly engendered in the breast of the first riser the next morning and he endeavors to carry the heavy burden away. His efforts, however, arouse his companion. Then there follows a most exciting struggle for life, which finally ends by greed claiming two victims instead of one. Shortly after, the Captain and his children discover the treasure and it passes into his hands, and the dismal thoughts and trials of the past are eclipsed by the visions of happy days to come. , CURED BY A TIP.— Boots feels tired; he wants to go to bed. Bother the work! He must do it. yet at the same time it is becoming almost Imperative that he go to sleep. His brains, therefore, are soon at work, and shortly after, he adjourns to the hall, where lie proceeds to enjoy forty winks mi the settee. Very soon some visitors arrive and Boots' services are in demand. In order to awake him, they proceed to dig him in the ribs, punch him, and to generally badger him, but without effect. Then a German band is called into try their hand, but in spite of the exquisite misrendering of the "Merry Widow" waltz, Boots is still unaffected. The doctor then is summoned and he prescribes electric treatment; this does have some physical effect, but it quite fails to awake him. At last a gentleman who knows something about Hunts in general brings out a coin and drops it upon the ground. Boots awakes. grabs the coin, then takes the full measure of sadness and bitter pain from the hands of those whose displeasure he has Incurred. ECLAIR FILMS. THE TREASURE OF LOUIS. — Louis is n poor fisherman of Brittany who is in love with the daughter of a well-to-do innkeeper, but who cannot narry the woman of his choice on account of bis dire poverty. One lucky day, as Louis and his fellow-fishermen are hauling in the net, Louis, to his great conBternation, discovers b small casket entangled In Ms net. Upon opening the casket, a number of (rold pieces gush out. and in the bottom lies a folded parchment containing some undecipherable Inscription. Something prompts Louis to the belief tli.it the document is worth more than the old, and so that there will be no wrangle, offers bis companion the gold, while he himself retains the ancient parchment. For some time Louis is unable to make anything of the inscription, but one day while he is standing before a mirror, endeavorlng for the hundredth time to gain some intelligence from the carious writing, he glances in a mirror, and all is made plain — the inscription has bnen written backwards, and the precious mirror reflects, to the eye of the astonished Louis, the following words: "Let him who knows not fear search the depths of Gael's Gulf, where lieth the Measure of Morgan the Great." Ixiuis confides his secret to his fiancee, who courageously volunteers to be his companion in his adventure to the dread Gulf of Gael. So they set Ball, and after many hardships and dangers, the ire is located and brought to the surface, and the lovers return home triumphant. Louis is now enriched, and the innkeeper no longer refuses him the hand of the daughter. Herr Innkeeper, therefore, announces the engagement, and a great celebration is made in honor of the event. During this great festival. Louis is made to take too much wine, and In consequence he beccmis Incautious, and informs some of the men present "f the existence of his treasure, and they. becoming Interested, force him to mention the plane where I lie preclons jewels ale hid. These unscrupulous men at once plot to rob our hem. but .Tenny, having overheard the conversation, connten.ii.is. and 's ai.in in have the treasure saved Just in the niek Of time. So they are happily married, and — all's well that ends well. A TRIP TO BERNE.— One of the Eclair educational gems which affords us a most comprehensive appreciation of that beautiful Swiss capital, cradled in the world-renowned and mighty Alps. We have here an excellent opportunity of learning a great deal of Swiss architecture in the study of the Federal and other interesting buildings and institutions, and learn much of the quaint customs of these dwellers among the crags. One of the chief features of the film is a visit to the famous bear-pit, in which is nurtured most carefully a great family of Swiss bear — the beloved emblem o the Swiss nation. NESTOR FILMS. THE TENDERFOOT.— Everyone on the ranch was in a flutter of expectation: even Long Bill grew excited as the hour for the arrival of Jack Bigelow, the new ranch owner, grew near. Ann Weston, the foreman's daughter, had been unanimously selected to meet the tenderfoot — his first impression of them must be favorable. By some miscalculation Jack arrived earlier than expected, but remembering his old comrade, Sheriff Warner, stopped in to renew their friendship. The delighted Sheriff would have been glad to accompany Jack to his ranch had duty not called him in the opposite direction, to search for "Gentleman Jim," the outlaw, so lending Jack a horse, he carefully pointed out the way. To better observe his surroundings. Jack had been allowing his horse to walk, when suddenly the bridle was gripped by an iron hand and the tenderfoot looked into 'the muzzle of "Gentleman Jim's" gun. The outlaw found very little money on his victim, but discovered the deeds to the ranch and a receipt for the money just sent by Weston, and if it was still in Weston's safe he might easily obtain it by impersonating the tenderfoot for a few hours and robbing the safe. So by exchanging clothes with the unwilling tenderfoot and mounted on the Sheriff's horse the outlaw had no difficulty in obtaining recog nition at the ranch as the new owner. Bigelow was a sorry looking figure in the outlaw's rough clothes and was about to return to the home of his friend, the Sheriff, when he was overtaken by Ann Weston, who was driving to the depot to meet the new owner. She kindly offered to give him a lift, and her frank, impersonal manner led him to relate his experience and reveal his identity. Outwardly sympathizing with him. lint secretly amused, she drove him back home, to have her amusement turned to indignation when she found that her father and the cowboys disbelieved Jack's story, and when he was unable to produce the deeds declared him to be an impostor; but flocked around the outlaw upon his arrival anil gave him a hearty welcome, and locked up the "dangerous impostor." Being thoroughly convinced of the truth of .Tank's statements Ann steals out in the darkness ami frets Long Bill to go for the Sheriff. In coming back into the house, her suspicions are confirmed as she finds the new "owner" in the ant of opening the safe. Fortunately his back was turned, and slipping up the slab's she returned as though coming from her room, after making a noise to apprise him of her approach. If she could only keep him until Long Bill returned with aid — a task she found easier than she anticipated, for he was not averse to being entertained by a pretty girl: so the time passed without arousing his suspicions until he started for the door to ascertain the cause of approaching horsemen, to find himself confronted by his own guns, which Ann had contrived to steal from him. The Sheriff's arrival put an end to the masqnerade, and with shamed and foolish faces the boys released the new ranch owner. "IMP." STUNG! —Two rivals for Hie hand of a girl are having a fine time stealing marches on each other, and on this occasion they are invited to a whist party at the damoiselle's home. In the course of The evening one of them is very much tortured by a shoe that was never intended for his foot, and when he is seated at a table he takes advantage of the opportunity to remove the tight shoe. Soon the company is called to supper, and the shoeless man is in a fine fix. He pTopes frantically for the footwear, and tbe guests discover his predicament. He is flustered, but not for long. Remembering that his rival was near the table, he gets an Idea. Telling the guests that he will find the shoe through a trick in clairvoyance, he furrows his brow and apparently thinks profoundly, makes a few mvsterious passes, and suddenly counts four on his fingers. Then he quickly counts off four people to the right — it is his rival! The company looks on in amazement as he turns him round and extracts the shoe from his back pocket! THE STAGE NOTE. — A young lady Is Interested in amateur theatricals, and she is preparing to receive the members of her society, who are going to conduct their rehearsal at her home. The dramatic professor arrives, the actors soon follow, and we see them going through a tur-r-ible "drnmmer,'' In which an effeminate chap plays a wicked but glar: ties a girl with a cord, and Is about to chastise her when her lover, real hero that he is. enters: he picks up the note the victim has dropped. reading: "There arc burglars in the house," and then deliberately walks over to the burglar an,1 L'ives him an awful slap right on the wrist. Oh, It's an awful slap, ami I lie burglar falls down on the floor ami the hero embraces the gir-r-ri. The rehearsal Is soon all over, and the actors go home. That night the young lady of the house is in her bedroom, when she hears the sound of footsteps, in the dining-room. She timidly goes there, when two masked men spring on her before she can make an outcry, gag her, and bind her in a chair; she is helpless, but when they leave her there to ransack the rest of the house, she gets an idea. Throwing herself from the chair, she wriggles across the floor where is lying the same note that had been used during the rehearsal in the afternoon, reading "There are burglars in the house!" Wltu a painful effort she drops it out of the window and then, with her teeth, pulls down the lever of the telegraph call box. This done, she struggles bravely back to tbe chair. The burglars have by this time overpowered the servants, and when a messengtr boy answers the call one of the thieves, in the butler's coat, tells bim that it is a mistake. On his way back the boy stoops to pick up a cigarette butt that he had bunked, and finds the note. He rushes away a little faster than messenger boys usually do, and returns with two policemen, who capture the burglars and march them away. Then the bashful kid is subjected to a kissing at the hands (lips, rather) of the rescued young miss that makes up for the biggest money reward he could have won. TRANSFUSION.— A girl who takes her fine little mare to the blacksmith's for new footwear, does not know that the strapping, sinewy smithy has a warm spot in his heart for her; nor does she find out until long after he has learned to just bear the heart-pang as though it were part of his daily life. The girl has a lover, a fine, elegant young chap of her own station in life, who takes his horse to the same smith for attention. This fine morning the young couple are seen meeting at the blacksmith's shop, and later they canter out on the boulevard together. A little love-making .adds to the pleasure of the ride, and sdon we see the lovers part; the girl rides up a beautiful boulevard and suddenly her mount rears, runs away and finally throws her onto the ground at the side of the road. The riderless horse then turns about and runs straight to the blacksmith shop; the smith knows the mare and looks out expectantly for the owner, but he is greatly surprised when she does not appear and becomes alarmed. He mounts the horse and. riding back to the driveway, discovers her lying on the ground painfully hurt. In his strong arms she is carefully borne home, and the smithy runs for the doctor. The girl's lover also comes on the scene and. with an important air, puts aside the blacksmith's attentions, not even allowing him to go into the sick room. The physician in attendance announces that the girl is seriously hurt and requests that another doctor be called in consultation. The girl's parents and her sweetheart are gathered round the bed when the second doctor, a specialist, tells them that the girl, having been greatly weakened by the loss of blood, her system must be reinforced by the transfusion of the blood of another. Naturally, he turns to her lover as the most likely cendidate for the sacrifice, hut the latter shows his displeasure at the idea plainly; thinking to redeem himself, however, he suggests that he will procure a substitute. Going out of the house, he soon returns with the blacksmith. The latter is only too glad to make the sacrifice, and in a little while we see the operation being performed. After the antiseptic cleaning and the application of the local anesthetic, the forearms <>f both the girl and the blacksmith are cut at the arteries and a tube inserted between the two incisions, and the strong, healthy blood of the blacksmith flows in a steady stream into the system of the suffering girl. The operation is successful, and we now see the young ladv convalescing, with her sweetheart beside her. It is the first time he has seen her since the operation and she thanks him for the sacrifice that she thinks he has made. Knowing that she will eventually learn the truth, he tells her that it was the blacksmith who gave his blood as a contribution to her health. She is amazed, astounded, bewildered. Leaving her lover abruptlv. she hurries straight to the shop, and what transpires there shows very plainly that the blacksmith has not made his sacrifice in vain. HARD CASH. — The banker's confidential man is a heavy, unsuccessful gambler, and it means something to him when Ihe newspapers announce that a certain firm has failed, for it will also affect: his hank. While he and his employer stand aghast at the news an old sea cantain enters with a deposit of $50,000, which is accepted and which practically rescues the concern from failure. The sea cantain later reads of the failure and, knowing what that moans to the concern with which he has deposited his life's savings, goes back there and tries to get it. But he is too late and thi' shiink kills him. He drops dead in the Office unil the clerk takes the receipt for the money from the body. Some years elapse in our story. The money has been the means of the concern's staying in business and the hanker has waxed rich again. He has also fallen out with his gambling clerk and the latter, discharged, has gone West, gambled more and then, a human wreck, now returns to the banker for aid. lie is refused, but the clerk shews him dial he si ill holds the reeelnt for $50, 000 and this changes the attitude of ihe other. Now follow a series of attempts mi the part of the hanker to get the receipt. He goes In the squalid abode of the human derelict, who Is now