Blind Man's Luck
Summary
From the tumultuous thrum of the Connecticut Limited, a narrative of mistaken identity, forced redemption, and a shadowed past unfurls with operatic intensity. Eileen Caverly, a woman burdened by the specter of smuggling accusations, embarks on a journey that intertwines her fate with Bob Guerton, a dissolute scion ostracized for his profligacy. Bob, reeling from a drunken, impulsive marriage to Helen Raymond, finds his already precarious existence further destabilized by Helen's growing disdain. A catastrophic train derailment, a crucible of fate, tragically claims Helen, but simultaneously offers Eileen a desperate masquerade: assuming Helen's identity to evade a relentless detective. This pragmatic deception, born of immediate peril, morphs into a profound commitment when Bob's formidable mother orchestrates a legitimate ministerial union, cementing Eileen's role not just as a wife, but as a silent architect of Bob's rehabilitation. Under her unwavering, if subtly manipulative, guidance, Bob sheds his hedonistic skin, embracing success and fatherhood, ultimately mending familial rifts. Yet, the past, a relentless creditor, resurfaces in the form of Cromwel Crow, Eileen's former guardian and criminal accomplice. His demand for silence, a hefty sum, precipitates a violent confrontation where Bob, intervening in a struggle, inadvertently silences Crow permanently. With Crow's demise, Eileen’s perilous secret, a testament to her fraught origins, dissolves into the ether, leaving her free to forge an authentic, unburdened future, her journey from fugitive to matriarch complete.
Synopsis
Suspected of smuggling, Eileen Caverly boards the Connecticut Limited, followed by a detective who is trailing her. Also on the train is Bob Guerton, banished from his father's household for stealing to pay his wine bills. Bob is accompanied by Helen Raymond, whom he married while in a drunken stupor. Helen, becoming disgusted at his actions, confides in Eileen and when the train is wrecked and Helen killed, Eileen poses as Bob's wife to avoid the detective. Bob, injured, is brought to the hospital accompanied by Eileen. His mother visits him and, learning that they were married by a Justice of the Peace, forces them to be married by a minister. With Eileen's support, Bob becomes successful and they are blessed with a son. A reconciliation with Bob's father is effected and all goes well until Cromwel Crow, Eileen's former guardian and a smuggler, is released from jail. Crow visits Eileen and demands $5000 for his silence. Bob hears his wife struggling, enters her room and in the ensuing fight, Crow is killed. Eileen's secret dies with her adversary, freeing her to continue her life.
