The Poacher

A rich old man owned an estate in the Adirondacks, where be spent most of his time. Having nothing of real importance to occupy his time, he devoted all his energies to hunting down poachers. Therefore it was with feelings of great joy that he greeted two keepers who had captured a man shooting game on the magnate's estate. The rich man was a magistrate, partially because he enjoyed sending persons to jail, and in this particular case he signed the commitment papers with great personal satisfaction. It was a flimsy old country jail, and the prisoner managed to break out. Then he started through the woods, hoping to keep out of the way of his enemy. There was only one person the magnate really loved, his little grandson. The boy bad been present when the poacher had been arraigned, and had expressed sympathy for him. This child was accustomed to having his own way, and impressed by what he had heard, decided to be a poacher himself. With his sturdy toy gun, he started out for an expedition in the woods all alone. He was lost, but finally found refuge in a cabin, where he sank exhausted, unable to go further. There was no one in the shack to help him, as it was deserted and falling into decay, and the child would undoubtedly have perished of the cold had it not been for the arrival of the fugitive poacher. He carried him through the woods, intending to leave him at the door of his home, and then escape if possible, but was pounced upon and captured just as he wearily toiled up the steps with his burden. The keepers triumphantly produced him before the magnate and waited for words of praise, but the boy revived in time to make it clear that he owed his life to the man who was fleeing from the law. The magnate marked "Complaint dismissed" across the warrant, in the case where he was both accuser and judge, and told the prisoner that he would see that he had a fair chance to succeed in life. - IMDb