At a fashionable summer resort, life has become a dull bore to all the guests except Violet and Daisy Meredith, two young sisters who are being sought by Sir Algernon Coldstream and Henri St. Ives. Mr. Smith of New York, a purely American product, finds himself neglected by the younger feminine contingent and becomes the prey of some elderly ladies. This period of calm is broken by the sudden, unheralded advent of dashing young widow Mrs. Jane Garner, who finds that through an error, no rooms have been reserved for her. Mr. Smith, Sir Algy, and St. Ives desert everyone else and beg for the privilege of giving up their rooms to the widow. Coins are tossed and Smith wins the privilege of sleeping on the billiard table and resigning his suite of rooms to the adorable Jane. As the days pass, Violet and Daisy find themselves deserted and a stern race is on between the American and Sir Algy and St. Ives for the widow's hand. The rivals are watchful and give one another no opportunity to be alone with Jane for even a moment. At last the girls, tearful at being deserted, appeal to the widow to be merciful, choose one of the three and be done with it, and give them a chance at the remaining two. Jane, really weary of the trio's collective attentions, determines to be alone for one afternoon at least and hires a boat to row out to the sunset rocks and enjoy a little solitude until the late evening, when the tide, coming in, covers the rocks. She finds that the boatman has only two rowboats left after renting her own, and realizing that she will be pursued by the rivals, she bribes the boatman to bore holes in the bottom of the boats. After she has landed on the rocks, her fears are verified, for Sir Algy and St. Ives hire the remaining boats, and give Smith the laugh as they start for the rock. They agree that the first man to reach Sunset Rock shall be left alone with the widow. Smith, meanwhile, hires a bathing suit, with the intention of swimming out to the widow. Algy and St. Ives soon outdistance him, but later their boats begin to fill up and finally, waterlogged, capsize and Smith, at first swimming hopelessly behind, forges ahead and leaves them sitting, soaked to the skin, on their overturned boats, from which they are rescued by Violet and Daisy, who don bathing suits and swim their ex-suitors to the shore. Smith, arriving at the rock, finds the widow asleep and determines to put her in a position where she will be at his mercy. He raises the anchor of the boat and getting in it calmly awaits her awakening. She, about to return to the mainland, finds her boat gone and in the possession of the imperturbable Smith, who demands her hand in marriage as the price of taking her off the rock. Although she has grown to care for him, the widow refuses to be driven and says "No" with emphasis, and Smith, undaunted, waits for the tide to rise. As the moon comes up, the widow is standing submerged to her knees on top of the now tide-covered rock, but though in tears still defiantly gives "Nay" to his requests. He relents and takes her into the boat and just to be properly femininely inconsistent she then consents, and, a bedraggled pair, they return to the hotel to receive the congratulations of the guests and learn that Sir Algy and St. Ives have returned to their first loves, Violet and Daisy, in a properly humble and repentant spirit.
Where to Watch The Pursuit of Jane
