The Decoy
Summary
Upon the untimely expiration of her father and the subsequent liquidation of her ancestral homestead to satisfy a mounting ledger of debt, the virginal Glory Moore is cast adrift into the unforgiving currents of early 20th-century New York. Seeking sanctuary within the ostensibly benevolent embrace of her aunt, Mrs. Lawrence, Glory is oblivious to the predatory machinations awaiting her. Mrs. Lawrence, a mercenary adventuress operating in clandestine concert with a pair of unscrupulous card sharps—Milt Bannon and Harvey Dix—perceives in Glory’s wholesome visage the perfect instrument for high-stakes chicanery. They intend to employ her as a 'decoy,' a lure to ensnare affluent young hedonists like Jim Danvers into their web of rigged wagers and social ruin. The narrative pivots on Glory’s gradual awakening to this labyrinth of duplicity. Her eventual rebellion, which manifests as a dramatic exposure of their fraudulent card play, triggers a sequence of visceral urban perils: a harrowing escape across Manhattan rooftops, a providential fall through a skylight into Danvers' very sanctuary, and a descent into the claustrophobic nightmare of a murder investigation. The plot culminates in a high-tension psychological gambit where Glory must feign affection for a killer to extract a confession, risking her reputation and her life to exonerate her beloved and purge the shadow of the 'third degree' from their futures.
Synopsis
Glory Moore, a young girl, finds herself left unprovided for after her father's death, as the farm has to be sold to pay his debts. She writes to her aunt in New York, asking for help in obtaining employment in the city. The aunt, Mrs. Lawrence, is in reality an adventuress, and accomplice of two card sharps and confidence men, Milt Bannon and Harvey Dix. They decide to bring Glory to the city in order to use her as a decoy in fleecing rich young men. Jim Danvers, a rich young fellow who is going the pace, is one of their victims. The unsuspecting Glory believes she has found a loving aunt and a luxurious home, and is for a time deceived. She finally realizes the truth. She exposes the swindlers in a card game in which they are cheating Jim. Mrs. Lawrence, infuriated, locks Glory in her room. Glory, in wild panic, escapes through the window, climbs a fire-escape, wanders over adjacent roofs and accidentally falls through a skylight into an apartment which proves to be Jim's. Jim, who has fallen in love with Glory, befriends her, but Dix's appearance, while Jim is absent, frightens Glory and she runs away. She hires a furnished room and advertises for employment. She is followed by Bannon, who, by means of a decoy letter, brings her to his bachelor apartment. Meantime Dix and Mrs. Lawrence have quarreled with Bannon over the division of their spoils. Dix threatens revenge; Bannon in turn, threatens to expose Dix as an escaped convict. While Glory is denouncing Bannon for having tricked her to his rooms, Dix shoots Bannon through the window and escapes. By a combination of circumstances Jim and Glory are accused of the crime, taken to police headquarters, and put through the "third degree." Then both are separately released to further the plans of the police. Glory suspects Dix, but is not sure of it. She entices Dix into Jim's rooms and pretends to be in love with him. She is about to obtain a confession from him when Jim bursts in and denounces her. Glory is unable to reassure Jim of her love for him, as this will prevent Dix's confession. Accordingly she drives him away, admitting her love for Dix. Dix confesses. Glory then tells him it was all a trick on her part to save Jim and find the real murderer. Dix resolves to silence her forever. He attacks her. The room is wrecked. But just as he is about to kill her, Jim arrives with the police inspector. Glory accuses Dix. Dix jumps from the window and is killed by the fall into the court below. Glory and Jim are united.
