- Young Artie Hamilton gets expelled from college, and his angered father--a wealthy railroad baron--throws him out of the house. Artie tells his father that within a year he'll have made enough money that he could buy his father's railroad. Soon afterwards Artie falls for a young girl he sees at a girls' school, Annabelle Willowboy. When he discovers that Annabelle is being courted by wealthy Uriah Updike, and that Updike's father owns property on which Artie's own father intends to build a branch of his railroad, Artie sees a chance to make his boast to his father come true--but it will take some scheming and trickery to do so, something Artie is fully prepared to do.—frankfob2@yahoo.com
- Artie Hamilton is kicked out of college. He starts for New York to break the news to father, Colonel Philetue Hamilton, millionaire railroad magnate. Arriving at the office he helps himself to the stenographer's bon bons, gives his college yell and is then ushered into the office of the president by an office boy who thinks him a "nut," but respects his claim of being the "boss's" son. When his loving parent asks him if he has attained a degree, he replies that they gave him the "G.B.P.D.Q." Whereupon the elder Hamilton ceases to be "loving" and confers the degree of "N.G." on Artie as he throws him through the door. After gaining his balance he shouts back that within a year he will return with enough money to buy the whole road. Artie is next seen on the outskirts of Byways with a number of books on "How to be Beautiful." During his wanderings he comes across a young woman's seminary and decides this ought to be a good place to dispose of some of his wares. Deciding to investigate, he climbs the wall surrounding the place, discovers a charming young girl, whom he proclaims a "peach" and decides to marry her. He jumps down from the wall and goes to the young lady to make known his intentions. She is greatly alarmed at his disregard of a rule made by the old maid principal, prohibiting men on the school grounds. He is only a short time with Annabelle when the rest of the girls learn of his presence and "How to Be Beautiful" becomes very popular. The principal then discovers the cause of all the excitement when she sees Artie from a distance and makes a mad rush toward him to demand an explanation. When she learns the title of the book she is won over to the cause and nothing is too good for little Artie. Byways seems to have some attraction for the elder Hamilton, for Artie sees his car on the main street, and unnoticed, steals up behind the machine to find out what it is. From the conversation he learns that Dad is trying to gobble up a right-of-way for a branch of his road from a man named Updike. Now it happens that this same Updike is the wealthiest man in Byways and has set his heart on Annabelle, promising her parents half his fortune if they will consent to the marriage. Artie decides to "get" Updike and still win Annabelle. He buys up a country paper from an editor who is "down and out" and inserts a notice in his paper that a prominent society leader, a widow, was leaving for Byways, where she is interested in an immense business enterprise. He then gets in touch with his old college chum and arranges with him to play the part of the widow. Updike, ever on the alert, goes to Artie to find out about the business deal. Artie tells him of the railroad and informs him that this is the reason of the widow's coming. When the "widow" arrives Updike is one of the first to greet her and immediately falls victim to her charms. She tells him that his is not the property wanted and advises him to put his land in the hands of Artie, who is now the leading real estate dealer of Byways, to dispose of. This he consents to and Artie forms a syndicate of some of the townspeople and buys the ground. Not satisfied with this, Artie decides to "sting" Updike a little more. He has him buy in some property at an enormous price, of which he and the "widow" are the owners and makes him think this is the ground wanted by the railroad magnate. Updike then informs the people who had entered into Artie's scheme that they have been "bunked," and the office of "The Byways Bee" is stormed with excited people who demand their money back. Artie gladly returns their cash with the exception of Annabelle's pa, and he refuses to give him back his. With the amount secured from the deal with Updike, he purchases the property himself. Philetue Hamilton again comes into the story when he arrives at Byways with the idea of getting the right-of-way, his surprise cannot be imagined when he finds out that it is his own little boy who owns the desired stretch. He tries to "put one over" on Artie when he gives him a tip on a certain stock in order to get him to draw out of the property deal to invest. Artie plays the tip the other way and "cleans up." He places his price on the land at one million dollars. It comes high, but father must have it, so he signs the check. He has brought joy to the heart of his future father-in-law who sanctions his marriage to his daughter, and Artie places that young lady's fears at rest when he discloses the identity of the "widow."—Moving Picture World synopsis
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