Man's Law

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Marion Wade is known as the "Squire" of the little fishing village. She is very fond of her foreman, Will Green, whom she believes is an upright man. Green, however, is not all that she thinks he is, for when he is absent from her he makes love to Gertie, sister of Bill Robbins, one of the fishermen. One day the ocean adds another member to the colony, when Joe Lane, a beach comber, is washed up on the shore. He is cared for by Marion and Robbins and soon recovers his health. While watching from the rocks a short time later, Gertie hears Green propose an immediate marriage to Marion. It is then the simple little fisher girl realizes what this means to her. In terror she hurries to Green and begs him to save her honor, but he will not listen to her. The next day Green and Marion row away and are secretly married. Realizing that it will be easier to die than face what is to come, Gertie hurls herself from the cliffs. Her body is found by Joe and brought into the village. Bill immediately sets out to avenge his sister's death. Green escapes to the water and starts to swim away but Bill fires after him and the girl's betrayer goes down. A year passes and Marion begins to forget the sorrow the event brought to her. She has discovered a greater happiness in the love of Joe. Certain that her husband is dead she consents to become the bride of the worthy man. One day a stranger comes into the village. He goes to Marion's home and finds her in Joe's arms. He asks her what right she has to have a lover when her husband is still alive. In the stranger, she recognized Green, who was merely wounded by Bill on the day of Gertie's death. Suddenly there is a rifle shot and Green falls to the ground, dead. Bill emerges from hiding and stands in triumph over the fallen man, for he has at last avenged his sister. Marion turns to Joe and he takes her in his arms, for nothing now stands between them and happiness.