More Than His Duty

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The story deals with the Superintendent of the Royal Mounted, as they are sometimes called in Canada, his spendthrift son and his daughter, who is secretly in love with one of the Royal Mounted men. The latter has incurred the hatred of the son by boldly entering a western gambling house and ordering him out, thus preventing him from becoming involved in deeper debt with a notorious gambler of that district. The Royal Mounted Police have absolute authority in this part of Canada and of course the son has no means of redress for what he considers a humiliation, but by chance be discovers the sister's love for this man and immediately informs his father of the fact. The Superintendent absolutely forbids her any further communication with Morton, the Royal Mounted Policeman in question, as he does not consider him worthy of her hand because of his station in life, he being only one of the rank and file of the Royal Mounted. After thus getting even with his sister's sweetheart, the boy leaves for a hunting trip. Two weeks later news reaches the barracks of a desperate robbery committed at Banff, at the local Post-office, whereupon the Superintendent decides to give young Morton a chance to advance his position and win his daughter's hand. Needless to say the two lovers fully understand the opportunity that has been afforded them, and Morton sets out for Banff to capture the criminal. Shortly after his arrival he falls upon a clue to the robbery and starts out in hot pursuit of the robber. The pursuit terminates in a running fight and the wounding of the criminal in the arm. Imagine Morton's surprise and sorrow when he discovers the robber to be none other than the Superintendent's own son. To bring him back as a criminal means the disgrace of his sweetheart and her father; to fail means his own disgrace and the loss of the woman he loves. He chooses the latter course, however, and the son returns home and remains quiet while Morton reports his failure. Here fate intervenes, and the daughter accidentally discovers her brother's guilt while he is dressing the wound in his arm. Morton is trying to persuade her to keep the secret for her father's sake, when a shot suddenly rings out from the floor above .and all then rush in the direction whence it came. The truth is soon revealed by the silent figure of the boy's lifeless body, and the heartbroken old Superintendent silently reaches for young Morton's hand and thanks him for his nobility and self-sacrifice in doing "More Than His Duty."