The Sorrowful Example

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The little family of husband, wife and infant child are just existing, the wife toiling to make ends meet, while the husband is a worthless scamp. The wife manages to set aside a little of her meager earnings to save for the child's future, which is her sole thought. The husband has tried to get this money, but the wife guards it carefully. He has become infatuated with a little Italian girl, who, not knowing him to be married, accepts his attentions. They plan to elope, and he finally manages to steal his wife's savings, with which he intends to leave for another town. They miss the train, however, and start back to the village to await the next one. On the way back, he finds his wife's blood-stained apron. This is indeed a shock. The wife has missed the money and following in pursuit falls over a cliff onto the rocks below, receiving injuries that prove fatal, she having just strength enough left to crawl back and fall dead at the baby's crib, where the husband finds her. He is also repulsed by the girl, when she learns the horrible truth.