The Highest Bid (1916)

Elise Burleigh is the daughter of a designing mother, who plans to marry her to a wealthy husband. Oliver Strong is a stock broker who has fought his way up the ladder of success by pure grit. At her coming out party, Elise meets Strong, resulting in love at first sight on both sides. They quickly become engaged much to Mrs. Burleigh's satisfaction. A short time later, Strong is completely wiped out in a financial conspiracy headed by an unscrupulous operator, Addison Grey. The loss is a body blow to Strong, and his misfortune gives secret pleasure to his financial enemy. Addison Grey. To add to Strong's troubles. Mrs. Burleigh induces Elise to cancel her engagement to Strong and return him his ring, because of his changed financial fortunes. Strong, broken in spirit, and seeking to get away from civilization for a period, goes into the Sierras. There he meets an old Uncle Jerry, an eccentric character, who has reason to believe there is a thick vein of virgin gold in old Eagle Canyon. Becoming friendly they search for the vein together, living in a rough cabin. About this time Addison Grey becomes the matrimonial target of Mrs. Burleigh and she soon contrives an engagement between Grey and her daughter, Elise. Grey invites Mrs. Burleigh and Elise to accompany him on a trip to his hunting lodge in the Sierras, and while there Elise again meets Strong through a picturesque and romantic incident. She is led to declare her love for Strong, but the surroundings are so sordid that she cannot bring herself to give up her life of luxury to share his camp life. She bids him an affectionate farewell and goes back to her intended husband, Grey. In the meantime, Strong has discovered the wonderful ledge of virgin gold and is destined to fabulous wealth, a fact which he withholds from Elise to test her love for him. A forest fire in which Grey shows the white feather and Strong is absolutely fearless and in which Elise plainly tells Grey she is fighting for Strong's home and her own too, results in a permanent reunion and the entire discomfiture of Grey.