The Distant Relative (1912)

• 44%
• 1912
• Drama
• Allan Dwan
• J. Warren Kerrigan
• Pauline Bush
• Jack Richardson

Marguerite and Pearl Alcott were sisters and orphans. Bob White and Charley Wells were friends and fellow cowpunchers and, incidentally, Bob loved Marguerite and Charley had long cast amorous glances at the dainty figure of Pearl. A day came when Marguerite and Pearl, orphans, were visited by The Distant Relative, a person of much self-importance and assumed authority. She at once began a re-organization of the girl's household, maintaining self-appointed protectorate over the two girls much to the disgust of Bob and Charley. Finally the Distant Relative conceived an idea. The result of this idea was a letter to an unscrupulous but good-looking young man who arrived shortly after and announced himself as a long-lost cousin. Marguerite didn't like his looks, but Pearl soon fell victim to his city wiles, to the utter unhappiness of Charley. The bogus cousin caused corruption among the ranch-hands. They threatened a strike and it was only heroic work of Bob and Charley that prevented a general walk-out. But if he did damage to the ranch by distilling trouble among its workers, he threatened twice as much by proposing to the foolish Pearl that they run away and be married. The cousin felt himself quite confident and he and the distant relative soon laid their plans for the poor girl's undoing, hoping by the marriage to gain control of the ranch. The Distant Relative and the bogus cousin discussed it thoroughly, and the bogus cousin promised to divide the estate with his confederate. But what happens often to confederates happened to them. Bob White, chancing to step around the veranda, overheard. He kept the matter to himself for a few days when he was suddenly electrified to discover Pearl and the bogus cousin getting into the ranch buggy with suitcase and other externals of a journey. He promptly raised the ranch with his cries, horses were mounted and the chase began. It seemed impossible to overtake them. Down hills they name in precipitous haste, but the buggy and its occupants kept steadily in advance of them. Suddenly an idea came to Rob. He stopped a passing automobile, climbed in with Marguerite and Charley and the chase was again resumed. At the outskirts of the town they overtook the flying pair. Charley received Pearl into his arms and the bogus cousin, along with the Distant Relative, were hooted out of town.