The Fire Coward
Directed by J.P. McGowanJim Houston, a young revenue officer, is sent into the hills to locate a band of moonshiners. He meets with little success as he can find no definite clue but he establishes a warm friendship with Dot Hillman, little knowing that her father and brother are the leaders of the "wildcatters." Houston has an hereditary fear of fire which he is unable to overcome. The woods adjoining the Hillman home take fire one afternoon and the entire family leaves to battle with the flames. Houston is stricken with terror when Dot begs him to join them. He declares that he will overcome his weakness and reluctantly follows. But the sight of the forest in flames completely unnerves the young man and he flees in fright, knocking Dot's brother, Tom, into a mass of burning embers. When the flames are extinguished and the safety of their home assured, the Hillmans return and are highly indignant because of Houston's cowardice. Determined to taunt him, they secure a white feather from the cook who is plucking a chicken and send it to the revenue officer with their compliments. Smarting under the disgrace Houston declares that he will redeem himself by capturing the moonshiners. He renews his vigilance and surprises a party of the "wildcatters" at work. They succeed in escaping but one of them loses the heel of his boot. The next morning Houston visits the country store where a number of mountaineers are assembled and discovers that one of Tom Hillman's boots is minus a heel. Houston wavers for an instant. He has hoped to regain Dot's love by demonstrating his strategy but now he realizes that he will implicate her brother and lose her forever. His sense of duty wins out and after a desperate struggle he succeeds in making a prisoner of young Hillman and bringing about the extermination of the moonshine operations.
