The Bigamist

• Watchlist

Horace Dufrane, a young medical student, meets in his student days a sweet, pretty girl with whom he falls desperately in love and whom be marries secretly. They are as happy as the days are long in their modest little home, and as time goes on are blessed by the sweetest of little baby girls. At this time Dufrane's parents (who knew nothing of their son's marriage) believing it time for him to take a wife, do all they can to bring about a marriage between him and the daughter of one of their wealthy friends. Now Horace, though truly devoted to his wife, is selfish, and seeing the difficulties in his path should he proclaim his marriage to the humble girl, decides to desert his wife and child and marry the heiress. Four years after their marriage he gets an appeal from his first wife, who has battled during this time against all sorts of hardships in an effort to support her little daughter and herself. Not having the money for her rent, she becomes desperate, and gathering her husband's photograph and other valued souvenirs of their happy life together, she writes him a note and tells him she can no longer keep up the battle. She carries it herself with the other treasures to the residence of the rising young physician. She leaves them at the door with the maid and then hastens to the water front to make away with herself. Fortunately she is seen as she plunges from the bridge and her rescuers bringing her to the shore take her to the hospital where as luck would have it her former husband is one of the attending physicians. When the latter goes in to examine the patient, accompanied by some of the younger doctors and nurses he starts as if struck and motions them to leave him alone on recognizing the sweet worn face of his first love, whom he deserted. Clasping her in his arms, he tries to revive her, but his repentance has come too late. With one look of reproach she passes away in his arms. In the meantime in the physician's palatial home another drama is being enacted. When the maid hands the doctor's wife the bundle left at the door by the poor desperate creature, the former opens it and with a nobility of character not often seen decides almost immediately after reading the mother's last message, to adopt the child as her own. The scene at the deserted wife's grave where the true noble woman who supplanted her, holds the little motherless one by the hand, while the father, now repentant, strains it to his breast, is more than touching.