G. Méliès

The punchers of the XL outfit are wild with joy, 'cause Mary, the idol of the ranch, is comin' home from college. Billy James is Mary's special friend, and goes to bring her from the station, but, suffering snakes! Look what's traveling with her, his nobs, "Sir Percy Granville," who owns the nearby ranch. This gets Bill's goat for a time, but Mary rides and "ropes" with the punchers, and soon shows them she is the same genuine, good-hearted Mary, and doesn't care a whoop for Sir Percy. Sir Percy insists on sticking around, however, and shows his true nature by striking Mary's younger brother, Bobby, when he defends his sister from insult.

Nellie and her father are from Boston, but every winter they visit San Antonio for the old man's rheumatism. Nellie is very fond of ranch life and it is her custom to spend part of the time at the Bar X, which is close by, while her father is undergoing all the delights of being "Boiled out" in the sulfur baths. Nellie meets all "the boys" and is particularly impressed with Jim Edwards, who constitutes himself her guide at the ranch. One day a horse runs away with her, and Jim neatly ropes it and thereby saves her life and wins her love.

A lost silent film depicting the battle of the Alamo. Filmed in San Antonio.

Nora, who is the president of the Bachelor's Club, receives a letter announcing the death of her uncle in the west and that he has made her heir to his immense fortune. Including a ranch at Grey Oaks. Nora decides to go west and take charge of the ranch and run it herself a la suffragette fashion. She invites all the girls to go with her and they start for their new home. Arriving at Grey Oaks they pay no attention to the cowboys who greet them at the station but go at once in the old stage-coach to the ranch. The cowboys follow, approach the ranch, offer their services and are rewarded by being driven from the premises. The boys make up their minds to "get next" to the girls and devise a scheme.

Look before you leap, at hasty conclusions. Nell is a sweet girl and Bob is a good fellow; Nell is a typical Texas girl and Bob is a comparative newcomer to the west.

When our picture opens, Joe Flynn, a rider in the service of the government, has been shot from ambush by a masked man and is dying. Grouped at his bedside are his son Jack, a sturdy young man, the local doctor and the county sheriff. The old man dies and a week later we see Jack delivering the mail. The sheriff has inserted the description of the murderer in the Yuma Gulch Herald, and the country is being scoured to find him. Jack has a long and perilous ride between the two points of his route and is frequently beset with danger. Steve Benson, a desperado, who has killed old man Flynn, is living unhappily with his wife in hourly fear of having his crime discovered.

Getting his laundry from the Chinaman, "Honest Jim" spruces himself up in preparation to make a call on "Bess," with whom he is in love. Calling at Circle Ranch, her home, he finds Jack Rance making overtures to her father for "Bess' " hand. She greets Jim pleasantly, but she dislikes Jack; there is something about him which is distasteful to her and when her father intercedes for him she leaves the porch and hurries into the house. She does not have to wait very long to see "Jim" and "Jack" in their true colors and make a choice between the two. The clergyman of the ranch settlement and the .surrounding country comes to the post office where a crowd of cowboys are gathered to receive their mail.

"A senorita. With whom two young matadors, Jose and Pepe, are in love, tries in keep both on the string. She lends each to believe that he is the chosen one, creating a strong jealousy between them. Pepe calls to see the girl and she receives him with a show of great affection and preferment. While they are courting, a caballero, friendly to the other lover, Jose, tells him of the girl's duplicity. In a rage he goes to his inamorata and, demanding an explanation, accuses her of harboring his rival in the house. She cajoles him, and playfully stealing his dagger from him without his knowing it, endeavors to hold his attention by caresses as Pepe tries to make his escape. Unfortunately he is seen and pursued by the enraged Jose, who, coming up with him as he seeks the protection of a priest busy pruning trees in the grounds of the monastery, engages in a terrible struggle in which the priest Is powerless to interfere." - Moving Picture World synopsis excerpt

Mary Jane had nursed Black Bill's wife through a spell of fever and Bill was grateful with all the fullness of his rough nature. He sent Mary Jane a necklace and a note in which he promised on his honor to someday discharge his debt. It happened later, that one of Bill's horses was stolen. Bill and his friends found the thief, and were bringing him into town to a handy tree, when they passed Mary Jane, drawing water from the old well. Bill had a drink and Mary, in pity, raised the cup to the lips of Bob Ford, the horse thief, whom she had never seen before.

Old Watson the prospector is the proud owner of a mine and a daughter, Ruth, but when Jack Mason, the gambler, comes to town and opens a faro game, Old Watson loses all his money and mortgages this mine to Jim Sanders, a sneak. Ruth Watson accidentally meets Jack Mason and, now knowing his business, she falls in love with him, and Jack, who has a big vein of genuine manhood in his character, loves the trusting little western girl in return. Finally, Old Watson comes home with ruin staring him in the face. He has lost his last dollar.

"Business is on the Fritz," nothing to do but complain and everything seems to be going to the "demnition bow-wows." "If things get much worse I'll close up," says the restaurateur to his waiter. "And I'll give up me job," says the waiter, "if I can't get any money out of the place." What's that? It's a "joy wagon" with a crowd of tourists: they're headed for the restaurant. Immediately the proprietor and the waiter hurriedly get a move on and hustle our to receive the guests who are soon conducted into the dining-room, served, dined and wined with alacrity that is almost magical. The host and his waiter are all smiles and are astonished as well as pleased at the liberal way in which their customers order everything and anything.

Joe Fuller, the outlaw and bandit, draws rein at a humble cottage and begs refreshment. The traditional hospitality of the west is at once shown him by Jane White, who is alone in the house at the time, with her baby daughter. The bandit is given food and drink, while he is eating which, the baby takes a child-like fancy to him.

"I do hate learnin', but oh! you schoolmarm!" is what the boys at the gulch said when Mary came to town; and, from "Big Bill" down to Hop Lee, the Chink, they all took to study, and to courtship. The rivalry is friendly until the new foreman blows in and takes the inside track, then "Big Bill" gets jealous. At the swell (?) reception the foreman cuts Bill out and Bill decides to "lay for him." The foreman soon discharged a greaser who later robs the paymaster and contrives to fix the blame on the foreman.

In the farewell beams of evening the pioneer with his wife and child stop the prairie-schooner and strike stakes for the night. Sounds of the Indian war cry disturb the quiet calm, and seen approaching in the distance is a band of savage red men. Terror-stricken, the settler seizes his gun and stands ready to defend his family. At the first volley from the Indians' rifles he falls dead. The brave wife makes a desperate resistance to protect her child. The poor woman is quickly slain by the hostile savages, leaving the helpless babe to their mercy.

Bill Sanders, sheriff of Alkali County, gets a warrant for Red Rube, the tough. He gives it to his deputies to serve, but Rube gets busy with the strong arm and makes them look like monkeys. When several installments of deputies have failed, Bill Sanders gets on the job himself. Bill not only knows how to juggle the 44 Colts, but he keeps gray matter in his skull. In going after Red Rube, he decides to rely on his brains instead of his hardware. He disguises himself as a tenderfoot, arms himself with a camera, and gets on Rube's trail. Things are warm and lively thereafter, but Sanders gets his man, and the honor of Alkali County is preserved.

Denton, a young easterner, arrives in the gold-fields, looks about for a "find" and a partner. Entering a saloon, he partakes of some refreshment, watches the patrons of the place and studies their characters, while thus engaged a young miner, named Harper, somewhat prejudiced against easterners, engages in a quarrel with a Mexican who is about to plunge a knife into the miner when Denton seizes his wrist and wrenches the weapon from his grasp. Harper thanks Denton, and after learning the eastern man's desire to find a prospecting partner, Denton loins forces with him and they start in to work a lead and strike paying dirt.

Jack Robbins is a gentleman bandit. For months he has been hunted in vain by Bob Ford, the sheriff. Mary Gray, a young lady physician, comes west; Robbins befriends her and, not knowing him to be a bandit, she admires him. One day the sheriff gets close enough to Robbins to seriously wound him and he is in desperate straits. By accident Dr. Gray finds him and he becomes her patient.

Full of booze, bluster, and fight "Black Pete," a big "bad man" of the wild west comes from the local saloon ready to put daylight through anybody and everybody within the range of his voice and the reach of his gun and, to further convince the crowd that he is the terror of the territory, lands on an inoffensive bystander knocking him down. "Billy" is an entirely different sort of a citizen; he is a young chap living with his sister whom he loves very dearly; their love is mutual. Billy has received a letter and stops on his way home in an opening in the woods to read it. While thus engaged, an Indian girl is making her way through the woods. "Black Pete" coming along the pass sees and attacks her. Billy springs to her defense and knocks "Pete" down; in falling he strikes his head on a stone and is killed.

Rawhide, Arizona, was certainly some tough town when Reverend Simpson first blew in from civilization and started his campaign of redemption. From Alkali Ike to Shorty Smith, not a man of them had seen the inside of a church in fourteen years; there has never been a sermon preached in the county, and the only hymns that had ever been heard were those of the coyotes. The Rev. Simpson soon set up the "Rawhide Mission," but in spite of the hot weather, the result was a heavy frost. Nobody came even as far as the door, except Black Mike, who was drunk and who thought he was at the XXX saloon. The worthy pastor pleaded, prayed and billed the town without result.

Margie, of the "Flying B" ranch, knew it was to run across a snake in the tall Texas grass, but she did not realize that there are people who, like snakes, conceal themselves until they are ready to sting. Consequently, when a sleek looking tenderfoot asked to become a boarder at the "Flying B" Margie favored him, though her father was suspicious. Margie is soon smitten with the stranger, much to the chagrin of Jack, the foreman, with whom Margie had previously been very friendly. Jack does not get ugly over the matter, but keeps his eyes open.