- Upon finding out his faithless wife has died, millionaire Bide Bennington decides that it is time to return to New York from abroad. He arrives on Christmas Eve, and confronted by his desolate, empty home, decides to continue traveling across the continent. After he leaves, a robber breaks into Bennington's house and steals his fur coat and wallet. The burglar is then ambushed by thugs, who kill him and throw his body into the river. When the coat is found by the pier and Bennington is presumed dead, the thug's leader, Richard Glendon conceives a plan. Glendon approaches Constance Brent and threatens to expose her father, an escapee from a English prison, unless she impersonates Bennington's widow and claims the estate. To save her father, Constance reluctantly agrees, and when Bennington reads of his own suicide, he decides to return incognito and investigate. Impressed with Bennington's resemblance to the supposed dead man, Glendon enlists him in his scheme to collect the estate. Bennington gladly complies, outwits the crook and falls in love with Constance. When Constance receives word of her father's death, she confesses all to Bennington, and after Glendon's arrest, becomes Mrs. Bide Bennington in reality.—Pamela Short
- When the wife of Bide Bennington, a young American millionaire, elopes with another man, he goes abroad. In the ten years he remains away, he not only forgets about the affair, but practically is forgotten. When he receives news of his wife's death, he decides to return home. He finds he cannot remain in the deserted house, and none of his old friends are at the club, so he decides to take a trip across the continent. He leaves in the house a sealskin coat containing valuable papers. A burglar steals the coat, and is later killed by other thugs, who throw him into the river and leave the coat on the pier to make it seem that he has committed suicide. The papers of identification are found, and it is believed that Bennington is dead. Bennington is amused to read of his own suicide, and still more amused to read that his "widow" has gone to New York. He decides to return to New York himself, and see what his "widow" looks like. The "widow" is Constance Brent. James Brent, her father, has escaped from an English prison. This comes to the knowledge of Richard Glendon, the leader of a band of crooks, and he threatens to expose Brent if Constance does not aid him in his plan. Bennington returns to New York. Fate favors him in his search for his "widow," for she and Glendon are at the same hotel, completing their plans for claiming the property. Constance notices Bennington's resemblance to the photographs of Bennington she has been shown, and Glendon decides to make use of this resemblance. He introduces himself to the young man. Bennington entering into the conspiracy with the greatest glee, tells Glendon he would gladly become a party to any scheme, criminal or otherwise, to obtain money, and he finally consents, on account of his "Likeness" to Bennington, to impersonate himself and claim the property. Accordingly, he presents the credentials, which have come into the hands of Glendon, and is accepted as Bennington, having invented a story to account for the supposed suicide. Glendon, Constance, and Bennington take up their residence in the Bennington home. Bennington falls in love with Constance, at the same time being unable to understand her willingness to take part in such a scheme. Although they are living in Bennington's residence, Bennington pretends to have difficulty in getting control of the money and other valuables accruing to the Bennington estate. This angers Glendon, who is further incensed by Bennington's attentions to Constance, whom he wants for himself. Constance receives a telegram announcing the death of her father, who has gone west on a trip. With all necessity for deception gone, Constance confesses to Bennington the reason for her having been Glendon's accomplice, and says she will no longer further his schemes. Bennington tells her he loves her, and she promises to marry him, then leaving to attend her father's funeral. Bennington promises to have the conspiracy stopped while she is gone. Glendon attacks Bennington as he is telephoning the police. There is a fight, overheard by the telephone operator, who sends an emergency call to police headquarters. Both men are detained pending the arrival of Stevens, Bennington's valet, who identifies him. Bennington is released and Glendon taken away to receive his just punishment. Constance returns to marry Bennington.
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