A Chorus Girl's Romance

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Nellie Palmer's attractiveness almost leads to her death in a dismal underground dungeon. As principal dancer and chorus singer at the Imperial Theater she is a popular young woman with many admirers. A rich American, William J. Smithson, is so enamored of her that when repulsed he goes to her parents and offers to marry Nellie. Nellie is already engaged, and although her fiancé is only a young bank clerk, her love is proof against the advantages offered by an alliance with the American millionaire. Smithson has a private secretary, one John Davis, a scheming, smooth, oily, suave young man. Davis learns that his employer means to divide his wealth between Nellie and Davis, so he arranges that Mr. Smithson shall not cumber the earth much longer, by substituting a deleterious compound for the medicine which the doctor has prescribed. Smithson makes his will, leaving the whole of his fortune to be equally shared between Nellie and his secretary, and in the event of one predeceasing the other, the whole amount is to go to the survivor. Davis being shown this will immediately begins scheming to obtain the whole of the money. Fate plays into his hands. He reads in a paper that the "Eden Girls" with Nellie Palmer at their head, have been engaged to dance and sing at Triveau Lodge on the invitation of Count and Countess Vainoise, and that the girls would be conveyed by motorcar to and from the lodge. So he goes to the garage and punctures the tires on both of the front wheels. Naturally a breakdown occurs and the girls troop off to walk to the nearest house. Nellie being the last to leave the car. Davis stealthily follows her, and at a favorite moment he captures and gags her, conveying the unconscious girl to a filthy underground dungeon. When Nellie regains her consciousness she finds a revolver and a phial of poison by her aide, together with a note bidding her take her choice of death, as she will never leave the place alive. A poacher pursued by two keepers eludes them by gaining an entrance to the dungeon by way of a secret passage through a well in the grounds, and he reaches his haven of refuge just as Nellie sinks to the ground with a cry of despair. This cry proves her salvation. Knowing the secret of the well the poacher makes his way into the dungeon and finds the terrified Nellie, who relates what has happened. They decide to lay a trap for the crafty Davis, and arrange that when the criminal returns he shall find Nellie apparently dead, having committed suicide. Davis does return and is gratified that Nellie has accepted one of the two courses and is dead. He removes the "body" from the dungeon and carries Nellie into a wood, intending to leave the "body" there. Laying her down, he is astonished to find himself looking into the barrel of a revolver. Before he can recover his surprise the poacher has come upon the scenes and seizes Davis, who is handed over to the police. Nellie returns home, happily marries the bank clerk, and a year later Mr. Smithson presents his recently arrived godson with a gift of a check, value $23,000.