Summary
In the lethargic, dust-choked hamlet of Yaptank, Minnie Penelope Peck exists as a kinetic anomaly—a whirlwind of unvarnished tomboyish energy and anarchic impulses. The narrative catalyst ignites when her father, a weary night watchman, is denied a measly nine-dollar wage by the local bank’s supercilious president. In a stroke of retaliatory genius that borders on domestic terrorism, Minnie broadcasts a hand-painted manifesto declaring the institution insolvent. The resulting financial hysteria transforms the sleepy plaza into a theater of the absurd, culminating in a literal deluge when Minnie’s attempt to assist the fire department results in a high-pressure baptism of the local populace. Facing the grim specter of reform school, Minnie finds an unlikely patroness in Hortense Martinot, a sophisticated newcomer who envisions the scamp as a canvas for high fashion. However, the veneer of civilization is thin; beneath the silk and lace of the modiste’s shop lies a den of grand larceny. As Minnie navigates the treacherous waters of burgeoning womanhood and romantic interest in a local jeweler named Dick, she uncovers a labyrinthine plot to plunder the very vault she once destabilized. The film pivots from slapstick social commentary to a taut crime procedural, revealing that her suitor is a sentinel of the law and that Minnie herself is the ultimate weapon against the urban predatory class.
Synopsis
Minnie Penelope Peck, the village scamp of Yaptank, accompanies her father to the bank to demand the $9 owed him for his work as a night watchman. When the bank president refuses to pay Peck, Minnie posts a sign which states that the bank is insolvent, so all of the depositors immediately demand their money. The fire department is called in to quell the mob, but things get worse when Minnie accidentally turns on the fire hose. Minnie is saved from reform school by a new woman in town, Hortense Martinot, who hires the tomboy to model clothing in her shop. After falling in love with jewelry-store proprietor Dick, Minnie discovers that Hortense, in league with two gentlemen from the city, is planning to rob the bank. With the help of Dick, who is actually a detective, Minnie captures the crooks, then accepts a wedding ring from her jewelry salesman.
