The Wrong Door

Phillip Borden, a young millionaire owner of a steel foundry, attends a musical comedy and sees Miss Frou Frou, who in private life is Fern Hardy. He immediately loses his heart and determines to win her. Fern Hardy is the foster-child of a reformed "crook," but these facts are entirely unknown to her. Bates, a notorious New York crook, with his accomplice, Herne, visit the Hardy flat, and after Fern retires, the men "frame up" a great haul. Hardy agrees to steal a sum of money from Borden's foundry. The crime is committed and the foundry watchman is discovered half dead. In his hand he clasps a card case, which bears Hardy's name. The following day, Fern gets a note from her father telling her that Bates will let her know where he is. Fern goes to her father, who is in hiding in a secret chamber, in Bates' apartment, and Hardy confesses that he committed the crime. Hardy begs Bates to allow him to go out. While on the street Hardy is overcome with guilt and is at the point of committing suicide, when Phil Corden happens along in his automobile and takes him to his home. Hardy ultimately confesses how in his youth he kidnapped a little child from a wealthy home, taking with him an ivory box, containing jewels. He determined to keep the baby for ransom, but his wife prevailed upon him to raise her as their own. Hardy then resolves to obtain the money from Bates and return it to the man from whom they stole it. He goes to Bates and makes his request. The result is a fierce fight. The same night Phil becomes intoxicated at his club and decides to finish off at a Turkish bath. He staggers up the steps, but instead of entering the right door, he enters Bates' apartment which is next to the Turkish bath establishment. The room is dark when Borden enters and as he strikes a match he sees in the dim light the face of Hardy, being distorted with agony and two hands clutching his throat. The match goes out and Borden is violently thrown to the floor. When he opens his eyes he looks directly into the face of a tiger skin rug. Suddenly a blow stuns him and the next thing he knows, he is being arrested. Fern goes again to visit her father and accepts a sum of money Bates gives her remarking that her father left it for her. Bates' housekeeper, seeing Fern receive the roll of bills, demands a share and is refused. Resolved to obtain money somehow, she steals some jewelry from his desk, takes the ivory box and sells the box and contents at an auction shop. While on a shop