Summary
Bobby Dunn, a lovelorn drifter of modest means, discovers a willing partner whose age and girth defy conventional romance but whose heart beats in sync with his own. The only obstacle is his mother‑in‑law, who decrees a ten‑dollar dowry as a non‑negotiable prerequisite. Bobby, clutching a meagre two dollars, watches his matrimonial hopes crumble. In a fit of despondence he departs, only to receive a frantic call announcing the mother’s sudden change of heart and a demand to be at the church within ten minutes. A brutish roughneck blocks his path, delaying him past the appointed hour. When Bobby finally staggers into the sanctuary, his plea for mercy is rebuffed; the only recourse he sees is death. He returns to the roughneck, offering his scant cash for a painless end, but fate’s cruel humor spares him. Meanwhile, the bride’s brother, a rugged Montana rancher, arrives intent on whisking his sister away to his homestead. As they stroll, they witness Bobby on the brink of being executed by a hired assassin. The bride intervenes, refusing his demise and insisting on an immediate marriage. The brother, seeing utility in the roughneck for his farm, coerces the bride to wed him instead. Bobby, thwarted again, scans the horizon for another escape from his self‑inflicted torment.
Synopsis
Bobby Dunn wants to get married. He has found the girl, and though, fat and forty, she is perfectly willing for the ceremony to take place. It all rests with mother, and she decides that her son-in-law must have at least ten dollars. Bobby has only two so it's all off. Broken hearted, he leaves the house and on his arrival home he is telephoned that mother has changed her mind, and to meet them at the church in ten minutes. Unfortunately, he is delayed by a roughneck and he arrives too late. He tries to give an explanation but it is not accepted. The only thing to do is to die. Hurrying back to the man who delayed him, he offers him the two dollars to kill him painlessly. The man tries his best, but Bobby bears a charmed life. Meanwhile at the girl's house, her brother has arrived from Montana, Having heard that his sister is about to be married, he has called with the intention of taking them both back to his ranch. They take a walk, and turning a corner they see Bobby just about to be shot by the hired assassin. Stepping between them, she tells Bobby that she cannot let him die and they will be married at once. Here the brother interrupts and tells her that as the roughneck will be of more use to him on the farm she had better marry him. To Bobby's dismay, she agrees. Bobby looks around once more for a means of committing suicide.
