Summary
Old Man Cliday, a man whose laborious years in a pickle factory have culminated in a modest $10,000 nest egg, conceives an audacious, almost Pygmalion-esque scheme for his twilight years. Rather than a straightforward investment, he opts for a human one: transforming a vivacious, yet unrefined, candy store clerk named Clara Wilton into a paragon of cultured womanhood. The explicit quid pro quo? Clara, once polished and poised by the finest finishing schools, is to ensnare a wealthy suitor whose fortune will, in turn, guarantee Cliday’s lifelong comfort. Though her heart aches for the unambitious, yet devoted, grocery clerk Billy Perkins, Clara, perhaps swayed by the promise of a better life or the sheer audacity of the proposition, reluctantly agrees to this Faustian bargain. Two years sculpt her into a sophisticated belle, ready for the glittering stage of a fashionable resort, where a legion of affluent young men vie for her attention. Bound by her agreement, Clara resigns herself to a loveless union, preparing for a wedding that promises security but denies passion. Yet, in a stroke of serendipitous melodrama, Billy Perkins, disguised as a foreign count, dramatically intervenes, exposing Clara’s intended as a fraud. In the ensuing chaos, an eagle-eyed spectator recognizes a ring on Billy's finger, unmasking him not as a mere impostor, but as the long-lost heir to a prodigious British fortune. Thus, the intricate web of speculation unravels into a tapestry of true love and unexpected wealth, allowing Clara to honor her pact by marrying a man of immense means, who, to her profound joy, is none other than her beloved Billy.
Old Man Cliday has worked for many years in a pickle factory and has saved $10,000 which he wishes to invest to assure him compensation for the rest of his life. He hits upon the scheme of transforming an attractive young girl into a cultured woman and she in turn is to marry a wealthy man who will see that Cliday is taken care of in his old age. He makes the proposition to Clara Wilton, a candy store clerk and she accepts, although it wrenches her heart to give up her sweetheart Billy Perkins, an unambitious grocery clerk. In two years, Clara blossoms forth into a polished young woman, having had the best training that finishing schools could provide. Cliday takes her to a fashionable resort where she is surrounded by rich young suitors. Clara does not love any of them, but consents to marry one as her end of the bargain. She is preparing for the ceremony when Billy arrives disguised as a count and warns Clara that her intended is an impostor. As he points an accusing finger at the impostor, one of the spectators notices a ring on his finger and declares him to be the heir to a British fortune. Thus Clara is able to marry the man she loves while also fulfilling her part of the bargain.
