Masterpiece Selection Resonating with the Themes of A Butterfly on the Wheel: Cult Guide

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Mafflu, the old clown, out walking is greatly surprised to see a baby girl, fast asleep, holding in her hand a chunk of bread, at which a large number of sparrows are pecking. Mafflu decides to take the child away with him and care for it. He does this, but upon arriving at the circus where he is employed, the owner and the rest of the company have but a cold greeting for the little newcomer. However, Mafflu clings to the child. The Sparrow, as she is called, grows up and becomes the drudge of the circus. One evening, though worn out by fatigue and hunger, she must still prepare for the evening show. Scarcely has she mounted her horse and made a few rounds of the arena, when she falls and lies unconscious in the center of the arena. Romarin is in a rage and strikes the girl. Mafflu is disgusted and sends an official to the mayor. M. de Ganges, who that night happened to be a spectator. M. de Ganges takes the Sparrow with him to his home and she bids farewell to the only two beings she has ever loved, her adopted father and a poodle. Next morning, on awaking, she can hardly believe that all the beautiful things about her are a reality. The dream is indeed but a fleeting one. The Sparrow is received with jeers and mockery when she puts in an appearance in the servants' dining-room for her meals. A few days later a horse runs away in the park and the Sparrow cleverly manages to master it. This makes the groom, Charley, madly jealous. Charley abuses the Sparrow and a free fight ensues. M. de Ganges intervenes, and, disgusted with the groom's impudence, discharges him. The Sparrow is now received into the intimacy of the Mayor's family. She has fine clothes and jewels. A friend of the family, the banker Schlemmer, spends a few days at the mansion and is strangely attracted to the Sparrow. The attraction is not reciprocated, for, by degrees, the Sparrow falls in love with M. de Ganges. Alas, one day, she surprises him in a close embrace with his cousin. She is jealous. Schlemmer still persecutes the Sparrow to the extent of doing her violence. She decides to leave the house. In a few lines she thanks her benefactors for their goodness and announces her departure without, however, revealing its real cause. The Sparrow signs a very profitable contract with a new circus and she forgets, to a certain extent, her former disappointments. However, her troubles are not over yet. Charley, engaged as groom at the circus, finds occasion to exercise his hatred. After a first performance, the Sparrow goes to her dressing-room to change her costume for a second appearance. When, on hearing a noise, she turns around, and is horrified to see Schlemmer, introduced there by the groom, and who endeavors to abuse the girl, who defends herself energetically. Fortunately for her, Mafflu and the stage manager, wondering why she does not appear, enter her room and put an end to the trouble. Although not quite recovered from the shock, the Sparrow, nevertheless, takes her place on the central platform, where she is to perform her aerial act. M. de Ganges and his young wife are also spectators. In seeing the one she loves and who is forever lost to her, the Sparrow is painfully affected and, without ceasing to look at him, she makes a sudden leap, misses the rope along which she was to glide to earth, and crashes to the ground. Mafflu, in tears, picks up the girl, whose back is broken, and carries her away. M. de Ganges, deeply moved, comes to her and the Sparrow has, at least, the consolation of beholding before her death the dear face of the loved one.

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Vincento Perez, the governor of the Portuguese colony of Exile, is an unscrupulous and brutal man who is hated by the natives. Furthering his schemes, Perez tries to force silk dealers out of business, and reveals his plans to government engineer Richmond Harvey in a letter appealing for the American's help. The engineer threatens to expose the plot and Perez, facing ruin and death, sends his wife Claudia to Harvey to offer herself in exchange for the letter. In Harvey's bungalow, Claudia confesses her love for the American who, refusing to take advantage of the situation, offers her the letter. She returns to her husband, only to meet with humiliation. After much abuse, the natives finally rebel against the governor who is lynched by the mob. Claudia is rescued by Harvey and the two face a happy future together.

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In ancient Egypt a Princess is loved by a simple Shepherd, to the great displeasure of the King, who orders the offending lover be buried alive, for he had promised his daughter to the builder of the Temple. Breaking a double scarab in two, the shepherd and the Princess each keep a broken half and pledge that their souls will be reunited in death. Centuries later Capt. Harry Paget of the English garrison at the Sudan is enchanted by Grace Leslie, the daughter of Sir Hector Leslie, commander of the garrison. Mrs. Harvey, the wife of another officer, is also in love with the captain, and lures him to a meeting on the desert, causing him to miss a surprise drill. Grace, learning of the drill, rushes to inform Paget in time, thus interrupting the illicit meeting. Because of his disgrace, Paget volunteers for duty in a desert outpost and Grace, after learning the truth from Mrs. Harvey, falls into the captain's arms and announces that she will go to the desert with him, when it is discovered that each possesses a piece of the broken scarab.

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Arriving with her husband in Arabia, Katherine Wyvrne is ready for romantic times in the exotic Middle East, but her aristocratic husband prefers to be out hunting "Barbara sheep" than fulfilling his wife's desires. She soon meets up with the dashing Arab chief Benchaalai and falls for his charms, but he has a much more sinister goal in mind for her than romance.

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A restless young girl yearns to leave her rural environment and "get away from it all." One day she stumbles upon a film crew shooting a Western near her home. She makes friends with the film's leading man, who encourages her to try her luck as an actress, so she leaves her small town and goes to the big city to break into the picture business. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.

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The wealthy but selfish parents of a lonely young girl begin to rethink what is important to them after a servant's irresponsibility results in a crisis.

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Among the simple fisher-folk of a little island off the west coast of Scotland lives MacTavish, head of a clan. Here he rules as a chieftain, and his word is law. One day a hurricane sweeps across the Hebrides and the fishermen turn their boats to the inlet for shelter. On the shore the women and children watch the fight of their men with the waves. Among those who wait is Margaret MacTavish, who sees her father's boat dashed to pieces in the roaring surf. A party of men headed by Jamie Campbell tries to rescue the old chieftain but the waves close over him before they can reach the battling craft. With MacTavish lost, according to the law of the island the succession of authority passes to his daughter Marget, just 18. She, with a spirit of kindness and in a tender, sweet and girlish way, rules the fishermen and their families. Her disposition wins them. Jamie Campbell, a young fisherman, has won Marget's heart. Jamie has always been regarded as the son of Mrs. Campbell, one of the clan. The old lady, realizing that Jamie is reaching his 21st birthday, feels that she cannot keep her secret longer. So she writes to the Countess of Dunstable that the baby of her first marriage, which she left with the old woman of the island, did not die but grew to be a fine young man, and is now known as Jamie Campbell. The Countess, accompanied by her husband, starts out to seek her son. It is on the eve of Jamie's betrothal to Marget that, the Countess finds the young man and tells him of his real identity. She swears him to secrecy even from his own sweetheart. The Countess goes to watch the quaint betrothal ceremony of her son and Marget. Meeting him they are seen by those who do not know the relation to embrace and this fact is told to Marget. The disappearance of the Countess has aroused the suspicions of the Earl, and he, having learned of her secret meeting with, Jamie and not knowing the relation, confronts her. The wife breaks down and confesses that the young man is her son. There having been no children by the second marriage the Earl is delighted with the news and at once starts to plan for Jamie's future. The Earl, however, means that Jamie shall cut loose from all of his former associates. He persuades Marget to believe that she is an obstacle to Jamie's future and she reluctantly decides to make the sacrifice and give up her sweetheart. As chief of the clan, Marget commands him to leave. Jamie with heart torn asunder departs for his mother's yacht. Marget decides to sail out to somewhere in the west where her father and his father were wont to sail with the fishing boats. Before she cuts the ropes that hold the frail old hulk in which she lives to the island shore she sets ashore her pets and writes a note, places it on the strap collar of her favored little goat, and sends it abroad. Grouchy, gloomy Pitcairn, the village atheist who feared no one and hated himself, has always refused to obey the rulings of Marget. Pitcairn is in a troubled sleep the night Marget cuts loose in her unseaworthy craft, and in a wakeful moment he hears the bleating of the goat at his door. He is about to drive the animal away when he finds the note Marget has written. Looking seaward he sees the old craft tossing in the sea and he realizes what has happened. The village is aroused and the church bell set to ringing. Down to the surf line rush the people. Pitcairn sends a messenger to the yacht to get Jamie. Lowering a boat he rushes to the hulk and just as the waters are closing in on the cabin he rescues his sweetheart and the atheist falls to his knees and utters a prayer for the first time in his life. Jamie takes Marget back to the yacht, a reconciliation between the girl and the Earl follows and the dreams of the courtship begin all over again but they are real dreams because they have come true.

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Novice businessman Curtis Jadwin ( Wilton Lackaye ) is introduced to the world of grain speculation by veteran broker Charles Cressler ( Alec B. Francis ). At a performance of Faust , Curtis meets and falls in love with Laura Dearborn ( Gail Kane ), the sweetheart of artist Sheldon Corthell ( Milton Sills ). Curtis pursues Laura and finally convinces her to marry him, but soon after their wedding, he neglects her for his business. In her loneliness, Laura renews her relationship with Sheldon and the lovers plan to elope. When Curtis is ruined on the market, however, Laura rejects her lover and comforts her husband.

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The story of the training of a racehorse, the Whip, of the amnesiac nobleman who loves the horse, and of the villains who attempt to keep it from racing.

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For 10 years the men of the D. and O., a short line, have been at the mercy of "B," supposedly Barker, president of the railroad. The line itself is run from the executive offices in New York, far distant, and none of the men have ever laid eyes of "B," yet the smallest transgression, accidental or otherwise, of the railroad's rigid and economical discipline results in a telegraphed order from "B," decreeing the fine, suspension or other punishment for the offender. Latterly, it has amounted to almost persecution and the men are on the verge of a strike. The climax comes when 48, the passenger train driven by Jim Lewis, goes off the rails on a soft spot and ties up the whole system for a day. When 48 finally limps into Wellsdale, the eastern terminus, "B's" decision is waiting for Lewis, two weeks' pay as a fine and six months' probation on a yard engine. The punishment starts a riot. The men agree to send Lewis to see Barker. Lewis calls on Barker. Barker receives Lewis, and instead of the hulky, brutal man he expected to find, Barker is an elderly, kind old gentleman, with a charming family. Mildred, his daughter, impresses Lewis. At last, Lewis, much bewildered, accepts an invitation to dinner with the family. In the morning Lewis learns that "B" is Brown, the manager. With a card from Barker he seeks an interview, but learns the manager has decamped, taking all the negotiable funds of the road. Lewis, thinking of the girl he met the night before, asks for and gets the job of running down "B." After considerable detective work he locates a man he has reason to believe is his quarry. With the aid of a bellboy, he gets a tip on the departure of the suspect and as the fleeing man enters a machine Lewis grabs him. There is a fight, which ends in Lewis's victory. Jim Lewis returns in triumph to New York with the stolen goods licked in a brand-new bag, and reaches Barker's house in the early evening, just as a group of D. and O. magnates are deciding that the road is gone and done for. Jim is the sort of stuff the road needs in its executive offices, and barker states that he is to come in to New York to be trained. Jim parts with Mildred on his way out, but to their mutual satisfaction it is only "au revoir." The future is rosy for Jim Lewis, and the boys of the road have gained more than they hoped when they sent him to see "B."