The Imp
Summary
In an era grappling with the nascent understanding of the human psyche, 'The Imp' plunges into the disorienting labyrinth of Jane Morgan's mind, a young woman whose peculiar fascination with the criminal underworld, particularly the notorious pickpocket Annie Adams, takes a dramatic turn. A seemingly innocuous golf ball strike to the head precipitates a profound identity crisis, rendering Jane comatose only for her to awaken convinced she embodies the very outlaw she once admired. This audacious delusion swiftly propels her into a life of crime, culminating in a daring, cross-dressing bank robbery, from which she is saved solely by her influential father's intervention. Enter Dr. Gregory, a specialist whose unconventional therapeutic approach bewilders Jane's parents: he prescribes unbridled freedom. Gregory, with a theatrical flair, then crafts an alter ego, 'The Leopard,' a dashing vigilante championing the redistribution of 'superfluous wealth,' a philosophy that resonates deeply with Jane's newly adopted criminal persona. Their paths intertwine, their dynamic shifting dramatically when, amidst the raucous atmosphere of a Chinatown den, Jane's true gender is unveiled during a boisterous skirmish, sparking an unexpected romance. Their illicit partnership escalates with a brazen theft from her own parents' safe, a scene that takes a chilling turn when the 'Leopard' appears to shoot the butler. Jane's world shatters, her fear for her beloved's presumed electrocution forcing a sudden, restorative awakening. The dramatic reveal that the entire shooting was an elaborate, staged intervention, orchestrated to shock her back to sanity, paves the way for a most unconventional, yet seemingly successful, matrimonial union between the reformed Jane and her audacious therapist.
Synopsis
After she is hit on the head with a golf ball, Jane Morgan, whose interest in criminals has led her to admire the notorious pickpocket Annie Adams, comes out of a coma believing she is Annie. After her father's influence saves her, when, dressed as a man, she is caught robbing a bank, Dr. Gregory, a specialist, is called in and, to her parents' dismay, he recommends that she be given complete freedom of movement. Gregory then disguises himself as "The Leopard," whose creed of relieving the public of its superfluous wealth, appeals to Jane. When her true sex is revealed during some rough-housing in a Chinatown den, she falls in love with him. After they rob her parents' safe and the Leopard shoots the intruding butler, Jane faints thinking that her love may be electrocuted. When she awakens recovered and learns that the shooting was acted out to shock her to health, she and Gregory marry.
