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The Other Side of the Door Synopsis

John Montgomery, young, rich and of fine family, is eagerly sought after by the elite of old San Francisco. He and Ellie Fenwick meet for a moment at a hall, and are mutually attracted. Montgomery's impulsiveness and generosity cause him to fall an easy prey to Willie Felton, leader of a fast set, who introduces the young man to Martin Rood's gambling house. Rood, seeing in Montgomery a lamb to be shorn, quickly fleeces him of a large part of his fortune and then persuades him to invest the rest in a bogus mining deal. The young San Franciscan finds himself penniless. Meanwhile, he has met Carlotta Valencia, mistress of Rood, who develops for Montgomery the first real affection she has ever felt for any man. He is infatuated with her beauty and cleverness, and when he begins to hear evil stories against her, he stoutly defends this Spanish woman of doubtful arts. Montgomery's own reputation is sullied because of his associates, and only Ellie Fenwick continues to have faith in his inherent nobility. She believes Montgomery more sinned against than sinning. Her father, however, will not permit her to have anything to do with the man she loves. Montgomery, denied the companionship of the one woman who might have redeemed him, turns for consolation to Carlotta. One morning early, Ellie is returning from the market to prepare a birthday breakfast for her father. Passing Rood's gambling house, she hears a pistol shot. Through the swinging doors of the bar-room, the proprietor of the resort falls out dead. Montgomery, with a smoking revolver in his hand, leaps out after him, and the next instant, flinging away the weapon, has fled. Ellie, panic-stricken, hurries home, where she tells her father and District Attorney Dingley what she has seen. Nobody else has witnessed the incident, and Ellie, violently against her own will, is obliged to serve as chief witness for the state. Carlotta lures the girl to her house and tries to bribe her into silence. When this fails, she attempts to induce her to drink a cup of poisoned wine. Ellie, however, is on her guard. Her father has made her feel that it is her duty to God and to society to testify against the man she loves. Montgomery is convicted of the murder. As he is leaving the courthouse a band of Mexican horsemen, hirelings of Carlotta, enact his rescue. He and the Spanish woman plot to flee the country together. A chance meeting with Ellie, however, causes Montgomery to resolve to leave the city alone and start life over again. He writes Carlotta his intention. Ellie is driving him in her carriage to the borders of the town when both are arrested by the sheriff's posse. The girl flees, taking refuge in Carlotta's house. She finds the beautiful Spaniard sitting erect in a chair, dead. A written confession in her own hand reveals that it was she who murdered Rood. Later, Perez, Carlotta's servant, corroborates the story, throwing light on Montgomery's heroism in shielding the guilty woman. Montgomery is exonerated. He begins life anew, with Ellie as his wife.

The Single Code Synopsis

After he leaves college Hugh Carrington falls into the toils of Olga Kilday, an adventuress, but after a month of her his manhood awakens, and he offers to marry her. She tells him she cannot as she is already married. Hugh starts to leave her, but she threatens him with imprisonment if he carries out his plan, declaring that his act of paying her transportation across the state line constituted an offense against the Mann Act. Hugh calls upon his attorney, who with Hugh's consent, arranges a money settlement. Believing this episode in his life is now a matter of the past, Hugh starts out anew and becomes editor of the Purist Magazine. He advocates a single code of morals. Lorrie Stuart starts from her country home for school. Dr. Allan, a friend of Malcolm Stuart, an aged scientist and Lorrie's father, loves her and asks her to become his wife. But she does not love him, she explains, and cannot agree. In the school town Lorrie meets Dick Baxter, whom Margaret Winfield, Lorrie's chum, admires. Dick is infatuated with Lorrie and disregards Margaret altogether. As he promises to marry her, Lorrie trusts Baxter, but he betrays this trust and then leaves town. Lorrie goes to Margaret for aid and comfort but is shunned. Dr. Allen visits Lorrie and learns her secret and then remains to help her until after her child is laid to rest on the hill. After this experience Lorrie goes to live with her aunt, her father having died. There she meets Hugh. She offers to help him in carrying out his preachments. The two become friends and their friendship finally ripens into love and they are married. Olga reads of the marriage, as does Margaret. Olga demands blackmail and to keep her silent Hugh submits. He then consults his attorney, Rodman Wray, who, instead of serving his client, enters into a pact with Olga to extort more money for her from Hugh while he sets his ground to lure Lorrie away from her husband. Olga and Wray play their hands when Hugh is called away one evening on business. But Hugh misses his train and returns to his home to find his wife struggling in Wray's arms. He denounces Wray, who informs Lorrie that Olga was Hugh's mistress. Hugh turns them out of the house, then sadly turns to Lorrie for forgiveness, which she readily gives. Margaret comes to visit Lorrie and, ever remembering that it was Lorrie who stole Dick Baxter from her, taunts her of this frightening part of her life. Lorrie leaves the room and Margaret follows. Lorrie berates her guest, an argument follows and Hugh overhears the worst. He demands the truth from Lorrie, who tells her story. But unlike the woman, he could not forgive. In a rage he left his home and Lorrie. Days passed before the meaning of his action dawned upon Hugh. Guided by Dr. Allen, he returned to Lorrie, again to be forgiven, thus gaining a victory for the single code.