Nina, the Flower Girl
Summary
In the poignant tableau of early 20th-century urban life, we encounter Nina, a young woman cloaked in the perpetual dusk of blindness, whose delicate artistry in crafting artificial blooms offers a fragile livelihood alongside her doting grandmother. Her world, though sightless, is illuminated by the steadfast devotion of Jimmie, a newsboy hobbled by physical affliction, whose fierce, protective love for Nina forms the bedrock of her existence. Their tender, almost idyllic, bond is shattered by the grandmother's demise, thrusting Nina entirely into Jimmie's care. A violent outburst by Jimmie, defending Nina's honor against an intrusive rival, inadvertently draws the discerning eye of Miss Fifi Chandler, an artist of considerable social standing. Fifi's visit to their humble abode unearths a startling revelation: Jimmie, the newsboy, possesses an extraordinary sculptural talent, evidenced by a breathtaking plaster bust of Nina. This discovery propels the duo into the orbit of Fifi's peer, Fred Townsend, a man of means and artistic sensibility, who swiftly succumbs to Nina's ethereal charm. Townsend, deeply smitten, orchestrates a medical miracle, arranging for a specialist to restore Nina's sight. Yet, this beacon of hope casts a long shadow over Jimmie, who, consumed by the terror of Nina discovering his physical deformity, plunges into a maelstrom of despair, vanishing as Nina convalesces in darkness. The operation's resounding success brings light to Nina's eyes, but her joy is tempered by Jimmie's inexplicable absence. Simultaneously, a desperate, crippled youth is pulled from the river's cold embrace, his identity revealed as Jimmie, whose story moves a compassionate physician to perform a corrective surgery. In a stunning reversal of fortune, Jimmie too is physically transformed, emerging whole and upright, precisely as Nina's heart had always envisioned him. The narrative culminates in their reunion, a testament to enduring love, the triumph over adversity, and the unexpected symmetry of fate, all orchestrated by Townsend, who finds his solace in their rediscovered happiness.
Synopsis
Nina, a blind girl, lives with her grandmother, who has taught her to make artificial flowers, which she sells at a flower-stand. Nina, and Jimmie, a crippled newsboy who sells papers on the same corner, are sweethearts. Nina's grandmother dies, and she turns to Jimmie. One day Jimmie has a fight with another newsboy, whom he thinks is hanging about Nina's stand too much, and the other boy is soon begging for mercy. Miss Fifi Chandler, an artist, happens to be passing, and becoming interested, she accompanies Nina and Jimmie to their rooms, and is surprised to find that Jimmie is an artist, having made a beautiful plaster cast of Nina. Fifi brings Jimmie and his protégé to the notice of her fellow artist, Fred Townsend, who falls in love with Nina. Fred has a great specialist examine Nina's eyes, and assured that an operation would restore her sight, takes her to his mother's home. Townsend tells the boy that the operation will be a success, and is amazed when Jimmie bursts forth in a torrent of words against his fate. Nina will know he is a cripple and not the straight, handsome youth she has pictured. He hurries from the house, and during the ensuing days, when Nina must stay in a darkened room, Jimmie cannot be found. The day comes when the bandages are removed and the operation is a success! That night, in the general hospital, the physician's attention is called to a crippled boy, who had tried to end his life by jumping in the river, but had been rescued. He recognizes Jimmie, hears his story, and a few days later an operation is performed and it becomes evident that he will go forth as straight as Nina's fancy had pictured him. Meantime Nina wonders why Jimmie does not come to see her, as she had not been told about the operation. At last he is brought to her, and Fred Townsend has his reward in watching the happiness of the two youthful lovers.
