Summary
In the labyrinthine folds of a tempestuous evening, John Winton, a burgeoning titan of commerce steadfastly committed to his bachelorhood, finds his solitary cabin sanctuary breached by a frantic plea. A drenched, beguiling young woman materializes at his threshold, her desperate entreaties compelling him into the rain-lashed night. She guides him through the treacherous mire to a swamp's edge, where a prostrate, insensible man lies inert. Winton, propelled by an innate chivalry, transports the inert figure to his dwelling before venturing for medical assistance. Upon his return, however, the mysterious duo has vanished, leaving only a single, tell-tale glove — a siren's call to the businessman's burgeoning curiosity. This solitary artifact becomes the thread guiding Winton through a series of increasingly perplexing encounters, all intricately woven around the elusive girl. Succumbing to the intoxicating allure of the unknown, he weds her, utterly oblivious to her true identity or the grand design at play. The denouement unfurls with a startling revelation: the entire elaborate charade, from the storm-swept introduction to the enigmatic disappearances and the subsequent romantic entanglement, was a meticulously orchestrated scheme by Winton's own father, a paternal puppeteer intent on maneuvering his recalcitrant son into matrimony through the irresistible, if manufactured, appeal of romantic intrigue.
Synopsis
While relaxing in his cabin one stormy night, John Winton, a rising young businessman who has successfully resisted the institution of marriage, is interrupted by cries for help. Opening his door, he finds a soaking wet, pretty girl, who pleads with him to come to her aid. She guides him to a swamp where a man is lying insensible. John carries the man to his bungalow and goes for a doctor. On his return, both have disappeared. John, his curiosity thoroughly aroused, follows the only clue that has been left to him, a glove that is lying on the cabin floor. After a series of mysterious encounters in which the girl is involved, John marries her without knowing who or what she is. Then it is revealed that the whole mystery has been a scheme contrived by John's father to marry his son off by employing the romance of mystery.
