Summary
In an era of burgeoning industrial titans, Randall Ridgeway, a lumber magnate, discovers unsettling irregularities within his northern Maine operations. His impressionable, yet physically unseasoned, son Burt, overhears these concerns, sparking a nascent desire to prove his mettle, a request his father dismisses as naive. Meanwhile, the nefarious Mac Heberton, orchestrating the Maine camp's illicit dealings, coerces his terrified bookkeeper into fabricating a dual ledger, wielding the threat of revealing a past murder. Back in the urban sprawl, young Burt succumbs to the siren call of a decadent lifestyle, falling under the sway of the alluring professional dancer, Lotus de Valois, and her manipulative chaperon. Plunging into financial quagmires, he seeks further funds from his father, who, sensing his son's moral drift, devises a peculiar test of fiscal responsibility: a substantial sum granted with the promise of further increments for every thousand added. This perverse incentive only accelerates Burt's descent into profligacy, culminating in the extravagant purchase of a $14,500 lavaliere for Lotus. The elder Ridgeway, disheartened by his son's continued idleness, attempts to re-engage him with a speculative real estate venture, only to be met with Burt's shameful confession of dwindling funds. A drunken confrontation ensues, culminating in Randall's furious disinheritance and banishment of his son. Stripped of his privilege, Burt flees to the very lumber camp he once wished to investigate, seeking a rugged redemption. There, amidst the demanding wilderness, he encounters Patta Heberton, Mac's ward and a captivating 'girl of the woods.' Their immediate connection is abruptly challenged by 'Bully Bill,' a formidable camp foreman consumed by jealousy. Burt, still softened by city life, is swiftly bested in a brutal brawl. Humbled but resolute, he remains, securing a checker's position and embarking on a rigorous regimen of physical and moral discipline. His transformation culminates in a triumphant rematch with 'Bully Bill,' earning him respect and an unlikely friendship. A chance encounter with a crucial document exposes Mac Heberton's elaborate scheme of embezzlement and reveals Patta's rightful inheritance, which Heberton had concealed. Burt, now a man of action, confronts the terrified bookkeeper, extracting a confession just as Heberton prepares a murderous ambush, thwarted only by the timely intervention of the reformed 'Bully Bill.' The elder Ridgeway, witnessing his son's profound metamorphosis, welcomes him home, not just as a renewed man, but as the harbinger of justice and the future partner to the spirited woman from the woods.
Synopsis
Randall Ridgeway. a lumber king, learns that one of his contracting companies in northern Maine is carrying on crooked transactions. His son, Burt, overhears his father discussing the matter and asks if he might go and investigate. His father refuses, thinking his son too young and not strong enough physically to deal with the woodsmen. Mac Heberton, who controls the camp in Maine, hears of Ridgeway's suspicions. He compels his bookkeeper to arrange a double set of books, under penalty of exposing him for a murder he saw him commit. Burt Ridgeway falls in with a fast crowd and meets a professional dancer named Lotus de Valois. Under the spell of the girl, and the direction of her unscrupulous chaperon, Burt becomes involved financially. He goes to his father for more money. His father, fearful that his son is not improving his time, puts him to a test. He gives him $25,000 with the understanding that every time he adds another thousand to the amount he will present him with an additional $5,000. With more funds at his disposal Burt strikes a faster pace. Lotus sees a lavaliere, valued at $14,500, which she induces Burt to buy for her. The elder Ridgeway becomes discouraged when he does not see any business activity on the part of his son. Hoping to interest and assist him he takes a three days' option on some real estate where there is a chance to make a big coup. The boy confesses that he cannot cover the option, as he has but $5,000 left in the bank. That night Burt returns home intoxicated. He has words with his father, who has lost faith in him for the first time. In a rage his father orders him from home, telling him he is not "worth his salt." Burt leaves and makes straight for the lumber camp in Maine, where he hopes to rejuvenate himself. Arrived there, after many severe trials, he meets Patta Heberton, a pretty girl of the woods, and the ward of Mac Heberton. They become interested in each other, at their first meeting, and are engaged in pleasant conversation, when "Bully Bill," a camp foreman, observes them. "Bully Bill" is all his sobriquet implies, and he is madly in love with Patta. He challenges the stranger's right to talk to the girl, which results in a fight. The dissipated young man from the city is like a child in the woodman's hands, and h« is knocked cold with two sharp blows. Burt takes his beating with chagrin, but decides to remain, and obtains a position as checker. He plans to regain his strength and prowess if proper training will do it. He leaves off cigarettes and whiskey, and exercises in the open at every opportunity. On a holiday, soon afterward, when the woodsmen are gathered for a day of sports, Burt has another encounter with "Bully Bill." He dispatches the bully with ease. For this Burt wins the admiration of the crowd and the lasting friendship of "Bully Bill." The following day Burt is passing the office of Mac Heberton, when a draft of wind carries a check out of the window, and at his feet picking it up he finds it is from a rival concern. Burt hurries inside, and backing the spineless bookkeeper up in a corner, he threatens to kill him if he does not tell him the whole truth. For the first time in the camp he discloses his identity. The bookkeeper weakens and confesses that Heberton has been cheating his father out of thousands of dollars. Heberton comes in the door unseen, as the bookkeeper makes this statement, and with uplifted axe is about to strike Burt, when "Bully Bill" rushes in and stays his hand. In a subsequent investigation Burt finds a will left by Patta's grandfather, in which she is named sole beneficiary of his estate on her eighteenth birthday. Heberton has kept her in ignorance of this situation, and has taken over the estate himself. Burt's father is overjoyed beyond expression when his son comes back, a new man, with the story of the arrest of Heberton and a vivid description of the girl in the woods, who is to join him soon in New York, as his life's partner.
