The Drifter

Summary

At the precipice of a life dedicated to spiritual guidance, Harold Derwent, a promising Divinity School senior, finds himself ensnared by an insatiable ardor for the racetrack. His affections for co-ed Faith Willis contend with a self-deceptive rationale: his gambling winnings, he assures himself, will eventually fuel philanthropic endeavors. This fragile facade shatters when a peer's revelation of his vice leads to expulsion, casting him adrift from academia and, he believes, from Faith. Years later, reinvented as the notorious 'Pittsburgh Pa.,' Harold dominates the American turf, a spectacular figure shadowed by the avaricious Madge. But fortune, a fickle mistress, eventually abandons him, and with it, Madge. Stripped of his wealth, Harold renounces gambling, giving his last horse to his loyal jockey before seeking a new path. A serendipitous train encounter introduces him to William Ashton, a minister en route to Royalton's 'Church of Our Faith,' a man whose striking resemblance to Harold becomes tragically significant when a wreck claims Ashton's life. Seizing this desperate opportunity, Harold assumes Ashton's identity, stepping into the pulpit. The arrival of Faith, now Ashton's wife, threatens to unravel his elaborate deception, yet her silent complicity allows the masquerade to continue. A confessional from a local thief leads Harold to a cache of jewels, which he astonishingly recognizes as Madge's. Her subsequent recognition of him precipitates a relentless blackmail campaign, culminating in her forcing him to wager a substantial trust fund. The dramatic stakes escalate with Madge's spurious claim of a child, supposedly Harold's. A disastrous race, an injured jockey (revealed as his old friend Eddie), and a hospital bedside confession expose Madge's machinations, revealing the hidden trust fund and the true parentage of the child. Unmasked by Madge, Harold is saved by Faith's unwavering testimony, her word holding sway over the community. Their shared ordeal culminates in a quiet marriage in a distant city, followed by a return to Royalton, where Harold, finally liberated from his destructive passion, dedicates himself to genuine ministry alongside Faith.

Synopsis

Despite the fact that Harold Derwent is a senior at a Divinity School and in love with Faith Willis, a co-ed, he cannot overcome his passion for gambling. He is a fortunate racetrack gambler and pretends to himself that when he becomes a minister he will justify his conduct by giving part of his earnings to the poor. The gambling phase of his character is betrayed to the college authorities by a fellow student, and Harold is forced to leave college. Despite Faith's hope that he will redeem himself, he believes that he is unworthy of her, and goes out into the world alone. Several years later Harold's success in "beating the bookies" has made him one of the spectacular figures of the American turf. He is found at all the race meets, accompanied by Madge a scheming woman, who pretends love for him while he is on the crest of his gambling wave. However, fortune turns against Harold, now known as "Pittsburgh Pa.," and his fortune ebbs away. Madge leaves him. Harold gives the last horse in his string to his faithful jockey and announces that he is through with gambling. At the railroad station he hands all his money in at the window, asking for a ticket for as far as his money will take him. Securing a ticket for Royalton, on the train he meets William Ashton, who is just going to take charge of the "Church of Our Faith" at Royalton. The men are struck by their remarkable resemblance to each. When the train is wrecked the minister is killed. Tempted by the opportunity to get back into the ministry Harold takes the name of William Ashton and becomes pastor of the Royalton church. He receives a letter from Ashton's wife, who had hurried to the bedside of her dying father. Later Faith, who had married Ashton, comes to join her husband, and of course recognizes Harold. For his sake she remains silent, seeming his wife in the eyes of the parishioners. A thief confesses to the minister that he has committed a burglary. Harold goes with him to the hiding place of the jewels and finds them strangely familiar. When he returns the plunder he discovers that the jewels are Madge's. Madge immediately recognizes her former lover. Proceeding to blackmail him, she secures all the money he possesses. Finally she persuades him to bet $15,000 held as a trust fund on a race at the Royalton meet. Harold turns the money over to the jockey, not recognizing his old boy, Eddie. Madge produces a child, which she claims is the son of Harold. The minister does not know what to do, but hones that he will be able finally to purchase Madge's silence by his winnings from the race. His horse loses, the jockey being injured and taken to a hospital. A minister is sent for and Harold responds. He now recognizes Eddie, who tells him that he did not bet the money, but hid it in a stall. Harold recovers the money, and at the same time Eddie's mother comes to ask for the baby which she had lent Madge, the child being Eddie's little brother. Thus Madge is foiled just when she saw her scheme successful. She plays her final card, declaring that the minister and the notorious "Pittsburgh Hal" are one and the same. Faith stands by the man whom the church knows only as her husband, and her word is believed against that of Madge. Faith and Harold go to a distant city and are quietly married. Then they return to the Church of Our Faith at Royalton and continue their good work. Harold having been forever cured of his passion for gambling.