At the age of eleven Ted Barnum (Tommy Harper) suffers a fall, and the blow on the head turns him into a coward. When he grows up (to be played by Richard C. Travers), he becomes engaged to Austen Martin (Renee Noel). But his rival Bayard Schnell (Herbert Heyes) gets Austen to break up with him by proving his cowardice. Ted is hit by a baseball and his courage returns, which he proves by saving an old man from being hit by a car. Austen wants to reconcile, but first he insists on proving his courage even further by entering an auto race. Schnell bribes the mechanic to quit in the middle of the race, but Austen shows up and offers to drive the rest of the way with him. Ted wins the race and the couple becomes engaged once again. The premise to this Essanay three-reeler -- that a person's bravery can be affected by a blow to the head -- would have a hard time standing up in the face of modern medicine!
by Janiss Garza
synopsis
