Summary
A poignant, cyclical narrative unfolds within "The Wasted Years," beginning and ending with the desolate figure of Old Weatherby, a vagrant whose existence seems perpetually etched in the margins. A serendipitous act of kindness bestows upon him a meager sum, enough to satiate gnawing hunger, yet his gaze is ensnared by the theatrical promise of "Youth." This dramatic presentation, a mirror reflecting the very essence of his own blighted past, compels him to forsake sustenance for spectacle. What follows is a devastating, protracted flashback, an immersive plunge into the life of Harry, a boy whose trajectory began in the innocent, shared confines of a Cedarville orphanage alongside June, his childhood sweetheart. Their burgeoning love, nurtured through their formative years as he toiled as a machinist and she as a milliner's apprentice, was poised for matrimony. However, fate, or perhaps a more insidious force, intervened with a substantial inheritance. Harry’s subsequent immersion in the opulent, morally ambiguous "white lights" of the city proves his undoing. While June, steadfast in her affection despite the subtle overtures of a local physician, awaits his return, Harry succumbs to the calculated machinations of Billie, a seasoned "woman of the world," and her accomplice, Robert Leslie. Entangled in their elaborate snare, Harry, disoriented by drink and deceit, is manipulated into a hasty marriage with Billie. The dawn of realization brings crushing regret, amplified by June’s arrival in the city, her heart irrevocably shattered by the revelation. She retreats to Cedarville, eventually finding solace and stability in a marriage to the devoted physician. Meanwhile, Harry’s fortune erodes under Billie’s avaricious hand, his devotion blinding him until the stark reality of her and Leslie’s treachery is laid bare. A dramatic confrontation culminates in Billie's callous elopement with Leslie, even as she carries Harry’s child. The ensuing years are a desolate quest for Harry, a fruitless search for his lost family. Leslie descends into criminality, abandoning Billie, who, consumed by sorrow and regret, fades from existence, leaving their child in abject squalor. A twist of fate brings Harry and his daughter together in an abandoned automobile, a fragile spark of connection in his grim reality. The past, however, is not so easily escaped; Leslie, now a masked burglar, invades Harry’s home, a violent encounter exposing his identity and the child's true parentage before he vanishes. Harry, clutching his newfound "Little Pal," seeks refuge in the familiar, pastoral solace of Cedarville, only to encounter further echoes of his lost past and the bitter irony of June's settled happiness. A cruel finality awaits as his daughter, his last tether to hope, succumbs to illness, leaving him to bury her in the very landscape of his unrecoverable youth. The play concludes, and with it, Old Weatherby, his journey through a lifetime of "wasted years" complete, passes away, a silent testament to the enduring tragedy of squandered potential and irretrievable love.
Synopsis
Old Weatherby, a broken down tramp, finds a friend in a passerby. With money given him by the good Samaritan, Weatherby starts off to satisfy his hunger. He is attracted by some theater posters announcing the performance of the drama, "Youth." The pangs of hunger urge him to buy food, but the play of "Youth" calls him and he spends his money to witness the play. It is the story of his own youth, of the years he wasted. Harry and June were child sweethearts in an orphanage at Cedarville. They grow up together, Harry becoming a machinist in a village factory and June a milliner's apprentice. As they grew older they planned to marry, but the young man was summoned to a big city where he was informed that he had inherited a vast amount of money, left him by his uncle. The fortune is turned over to the young man and he lingers among the white lights. The village physician is also in love with June, but she does not encourage his attentions and openly makes known that she is betrothed to Harry. A desire to see a little of life takes a hold on Harry and be visits one of the roof gardens where Bohemians gather. "Billie," a woman of the world, and Robert Leslie, her friend, are attracted by the strange actions of the country boy. The woman plans to catch him in her net and Leslie helps to pave the way by bidding her a hasty good-night, to leave her to fascinate Harry. Her charms set Harry's brain in a whirl. One night at the roof garden, Leslie "dares" Harry to marry "Billie," for such is the trap set by the two schemers. Hypnotized by the woman and his brain dull from wine, Harry consents and the party hurries to a Justice of the Peace and the ceremony takes place. Not until the next day does Harry realize what he has done. In the meantime June's heart has wilted and she wonders for her lover. She goes to the city to seek him and there confronts Harry with the woman. June is heartbroken at the news of the wedding. June returns to the country and the young physician, still pleading his love for her, she marries him and they establish a happy home. Gradually "Billie" extracts the wealth of her husband and so great is his love for her that he is blind to her sham love for him. Suddenly his eyes are opened when he finds his wife and Leslie scheming against him in his own home. A scene follows, Harry ordering Leslie from the house with a demand never to return and the woman then betrays her real attitude toward Harry. As Harry broods, his wife gathers her belongings together and elopes with Leslie, although it is the eve of her motherhood. Through a detective agency Harry tries to trace his wife and her would-be lover. Four years have passed and Harry has used every means to find his wife and child without result. Leslie has sunken to the level of a common crook, deserted "Billie," who, heartbroken at her folly, passes to another world. The little daughter is left in a wretched condition in a dirty tenement room. The child goes out into the open in a drenching rain and looking for shelter climbs into an unoccupied automobile. Soon Harry enters the machine, discovers the child, and takes her home. That night, Leslie and some of his associates go out on a burglarizing expedition. Masked, Leslie climbs into the living room of Harry's apartment, a struggle follows and the mask is torn from his face. The little child is aroused by the noise and as she appears, Leslie makes known that it is Harry's own daughter. As the father clings to the child, Leslie steals away. The following day Harry resolves to return to Cedarville. As he and his little "Pal" near the town, Harry sees the scenes of his happy childhood. The swimming pool appeals to him and he attires himself in a bathing suit and plunges into the water. A gypsy and his family come across the automobile belonging to Harry and likewise the man's clothes. These the gypsy appropriates to his own use and leaving his wagon behind rides away with his family in style. When "Little Pal" and her father are ready to go they are forced to use the abandoned wagon and Harry attires himself in the clothes left by the gypsy. Reaching the town of Cedarville, the child has taken sick and Harry goes to the town doctor. He learns of the marriage of June and the physician and after getting medicine, starts off to lead the life of a gypsy. For months he and his daughter travel near the outskirts of the village until the child is suddenly taken very ill and dies. He takes the body back to the scene of his younger days and there makes a little grave. The play of "Youth" is ended. The crowd leaves the theater and "Old Weatherby" remains unmoved. An usher shakes him and then draws back, realizing that the old man has passed away.
