The Governor’s Pardon

Lily Gibbs is involved with two crooks—her lover, Jim Corling, and Dr. Joe Parmenter. The criminals hatch a scheme to pass Lily off as the daughter-in-law of the wealthy Mrs. Wade, whose son has died. During a staged seance, Mrs. Wade is manipulated into believing that Lily was her son's secret wife. Mrs. Wade takes Lily into her home, showering her with wealth and affection. While living this lie, Lily falls in love with Arthur Brent, a man who treats her with genuine kindness. This new experience makes her want to leave her criminal past behind. Lily's resolve to break away is cemented when she discovers that Dr. Joe was responsible for the death of Mrs. Wade's son. After both of her former criminal associates meet their deaths, Lily confesses her deception to Mrs. Wade. She is forgiven and finds happiness, marrying Brent.

At the urging of his wealthy grandfather, Willie O'Donovan is sent to boarding school by his preoccupied parents, neither of whom shows much interest in the lad. At school, where he falls in love with Mary, a country girl, Willie hears that his grandfather has died and left him $50,000,000 to be managed by whomever Willie is living with on his eighteenth birthday. Mr. and Mrs. O'Donovan, who are in the midst of divorce, both hire private detectives to bring Willie back to them, but after a series of close calls, Willie manages to avoid the detectives and take refuge at the home of Mary's mother.

When New York playwright Richard Warrington returns to his home town, Republican bosses nominate him for mayor. The Democrats, alarmed at Richard's popularity, decide to unearth a scandal that will ruin his chances of winning and quickly discover that, months before, actress Katherine Challoner had spent the night in Richard's apartment. Although it simply had been the result of Katherine's fainting spell, the home-town Democratic newspaper turns the overnight visit into an illicit rendezvous between two lovers.

On a boat to San Francisco, Nellie Proctor is nearly caught stealing a man's wallet, but because she slips it into James Blair's pocket, he is arrested for the crime and sentenced to two years on the chain gang. Nellie, ashamed at having sent an innocent man to prison, convinces her friend Milligan to help James escape, after which all three go to an Alaskan mining town to begin new lives. While James prospects for gold, Nellie and Milligan find work in a local saloon, and Nellie takes charge of four orphaned children. Warren McKenzie, the saloon owner, is also the sheriff, and when he discovers James' identity, he threatens to turn the young man over to the law unless Nellie visits him in his cabin. To save James, with whom she has fallen in love, from a second prison term, Nellie consents, but James and the children come to her rescue.

The story opens with an old couple in the evening of life, sitting by the fireside reminiscing the happenings of their younger days. How the young man had left his country home to seek work in the great city, and after many days of wandering had found employment as an office boy in the same office with the young lady. How she had taken an interest in him and before many days had become more than friends.

Sweedie, the cook, reads an ad in the newspaper for a maid to give her services in exchange for college tuition. She applies and is accepted.

The Duke de Longtour, a European nobleman, with impoverished estates, comes to America and wins the hand of Stephana Martin, an American heiress, defeating Marquis Ferdinand, an adventurer and his rival.

Three young girls, pledged to spinsterhood and contempt for mankind, go camping in the woods. Three boys, unpledged to anything save fun and the joy of living, likewise go camping. Fate spins the wheel and the six, pledged and unpledged, pitch their tents not far apart.

John Power is a hard-nosed financier who has neglected his domestic life and who tries to ruin the Wray family. But a revelation concerning a Wray family member sends Power into a climactic delirium in which he believes he is being judged by people in his life.

A band of crooks, headed by Harry Gribbon, are on a train when they learn of a telegram sent to a fellow passenger, who is a police commissioner. The wire identifies him as official collector for the Old Cops' Home. A little chloroform does for him and when the train pulls out of his destination he is still on board while Gribbon is posing as the commissioner-collector.

Hearts and Sparks is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Parrott (Charley Chase) and starring Gloria Swanson. When Mack Sennett first saw Gloria Swanson, he felt that she would be right as a romantic lead for Bobby Vernon because they were both small in stature. This was their first film together and they proved to be a big hit with the public.

Dangers of a Bride is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence Badger and Bobby Vernon starring Gloria Swanson.

Patricia Reynolds, the belle of the summer resort she is visiting with her friend, Amy Powellson, attracts the attention of Arthur Kirby, whom Amy loves. On an evening drive, Arthur tries to kiss Patricia , whereupon she leaps from the car and walks home. While Amy, disguised in Patricia 's clothing, accompanies Arthur to a roadhouse, Patricia , walking near the beach, sees her invalid friend, Jim Wheeler, jump into the ocean intending to kill himself. After rescuing him, Patricia persuades Jim to visit a specialist, but when she later is accused of spending the night with Arthur, she refuses to defend herself in order to conceal Jim's attempted suicide.

Sally Carter Rand, married to an elderly senator, is accused of espionage, but she is able to clear herself by proving that her mysterious knitting is actually a baby sweater.

Sylvia Hamilton rehabilitates an alcoholic attorney and marries him. When World War I breaks out, she is persuaded to help the German cause and later commits suicide rather than compromise her husbands career.

Two men in love with the same woman are further complicated by the arrival of a second woman.

Her husband was just what she was not, cold and brutal and even a little criminal. He earned his living in God knows what way, but once he boldly boasted that he and a confederate was to rob a house. She pleaded with him to forsake the dishonest plan, but he laughed and hurled her aside. She sobbed and begged, but he merely enjoyed her tears, and left the house. Outside he met his accomplice. The little wife followed him, caught up with him on the corner, and again pleaded with him to return home. In his rage he turned and struck her on the head. The woman fell and did not rise again. The two ran off. A little later she was found lying there by a farmer and his wife, who revived her. She did not know who or what she was. Her memory was a complete blank.

A girl champions the cause of the strikers at a mill.

A little girl and her father are among the settlers in a small western town. The father is very friendly with the neighboring Indian tribe and is presented with a quaint piece of metal representing a dragon's claw, the tribe's good luck omen. Some time later, while traveling with his daughter, he is held up by a band of bandits and shot dead. A bandit takes from him this dragon's claw. Years pass. The little girl has grown into a beautiful young lady. She marries. Their love is very real and their life most happy. He decides to go out west to see a mine that yields the richest gold and his wife expresses a desire to go along with him. The mine is christened "The Dragon's Claw," because of an Indian charm the man owns. While out on a western desert, he shows the dragon's claw to his wife. She then recognizes it as the kind her father possessed when he was killed. She has understood it to be the only one of its kind. She now believes it is her husband who killed her father.

John Evans and Thomas Barnes were both employed by the banking house of H.M. Cruze and Co. They also occupied an apartment together. Barnes received a tip to play C. and S. stock for a rise. But instead of rising it fell, and he was notified by his broker to send five hundred dollars the next morning to cover the margin or be wiped out. He had no money of his own left, and waiting until everyone had left the office, Barnes opened the safe and took out five hundred dollars.