On Probation

An old widower has a little granddaughter, and he earnestly desires that she should grow up to be a wealthy woman. His only other near relatives were his sister and his son. His sister was married, and with boy of her own, while his son was not naturally vicious but was lazy and shiftless. It was destined that one of them should be the guardian of the tiny girl, and it seemed an easy matter to settle. The sister lavished affection upon her little niece. So the old man made his will, just before starting on his yacht to look after some business affairs. The captain of the vessel broke the news to his family that the millionaire had been washed overboard and drowned at sea. His will was opened and read. It made the sister the executrix of his estate, which was to be held in trust for five years. At the end of that time, the son, "if he had committed no dishonest act," was to receive one half, the sister the other. Should the boy misconduct himself, everything went to the sister, who was also to bring up the little girl as her own. Until the estate was finally divided, the sister was to provide a home for the boy and the girl. Had the old man's spirit been able to revisit the world, it would have been shocked at what went on after his death was announced. For his sister discarded her sweet hypocritical ways and made a drudge of the little girl. The child's toys were taken away, she was banished from her beautifully furnished nursery, and sent to an attic room, where night after night she sobbed herself to sleep. Her only friend was the son, who developed manly traits in time of trouble. The two were badly treated, but there seemed no escape for them. Not content with half the fortune, the grasping sister plotted to get all of it. One dishonest act on the boy's part would win the fortune for her. He declined to commit it, so she artfully contrived by a chain of evidence to make it out that was a thief. The plot was successful, and when a policeman put his hand on the young man's shoulders, she realized that great wealth was hers. The next second she found that she had lost all. For this particular lonely rich old man had found a way to correct a vital error. He had reasoned out how it could be done, and there were no flaws in his plans. The sister he had trusted failed him, but she was not permitted to enjoy the fruits of her treachery. The son, who had developed into a man. Upon the stress of misfortune, came into a fortune this time, and the little girl did grow up to be a happy woman. - IMDb