Lovey Mary lives in an orphanage, and has a rivalry with Maggie Duncan. Maggie eventually leaves the orphanage, but returns a few years later with a baby son she cannot support. She leaves the baby, and Mary bonds with the little boy. When she discovers that Maggie is returning to claim the child, Mary takes the boy and runs away from the orphanage. She seeks refuge in the home of the widow Mrs. Wiggs, who has her own children. The remainder of the film deals with the efforts of the orphanage to track down Mary and the boy.
Still, it is worth a look since so few of Clark's films have survived. And her scenes with the little boy are very sweet. Clark is supposed to be in her upper teens in this film; in reality, she was 36 at the time, but doesn't look it. This version bears no resemblance to the novel upon which it is based. This was clearly designed as a vehicle for Clark, whose character (Lovey Mary) is not even in the book; nor is there any mention of an orphanage in the novel. There is an amusing subplot in the film, involving a spinster named Miss Hazy and a rascal named Hiram Stubbins, whom she buys from a matrimonial agency.
Still, it is worth a look since so few of Clark's films have survived. And her scenes with the little boy are very sweet. Clark is supposed to be in her upper teens in this film; in reality, she was 36 at the time, but doesn't look it. This version bears no resemblance to the novel upon which it is based. This was clearly designed as a vehicle for Clark, whose character (Lovey Mary) is not even in the book; nor is there any mention of an orphanage in the novel. There is an amusing subplot in the film, involving a spinster named Miss Hazy and a rascal named Hiram Stubbins, whom she buys from a matrimonial agency.