- On her way to join her father, John Folinsbee, in the gold rush town of Poverty Flat, Lily meets and falls in love with a young miner named Joe, but her beauty also captures the heart of the local gentleman gambler, Jack Hamlin. Unimpressed with the poor but hopeful miner, Lily's father takes her to Europe to introduce her to wealthier suitors, and in Paris, she is courted by the Count De Brie until he learns that schemers in California have taken control of Folinsbee's mine. In the meantime, Joe strikes it rich, only to be abducted by the villainous Sanchez and his gang. Upon Lily's arrival home, she and Jack attempt to rescue Joe, and although their efforts prove successful, Jack is mortally wounded. Dying, Jack joins the hands of the two young sweethearts.—Pamela Short
- Joe meets "The Lily of Poverty Flat" one afternoon, when he boards the stage from Marysville to the mining camp, and finds that the only occupant, besides the driver and the express messenger, is the beautiful girl, returning to her father, John Folinsbee, the owner of the store at Poverty Flat. On the way, while they walk up a grade, with the stage ahead of them, a band of Indians attack the coach, killing both the driver and express messenger. Lily and Joe, left on the road, are ignorant of what has taken place. While Joe seeks in the brush for water for Lily, he finds an Indian endeavoring to capture or slay Lily. Joe kills him and returns without telling the girl what he has done. When the vigilantes arrive, Joe leaves Lily with them and rides on to Poverty Flat. After he is gone, the dead Indian is discovered, and Lily realizes that Joe, whom she had almost ignored, was her modest savior. For the dance, which is held in her honor. Lily spends an invitation to Joe by the half-breed Mexican porter of her father's store, Sanchez. Dolores, a Spanish woman, is infatuated with Joe, and Sanchez, who is in love with her, stops at her cottage to show her the note from Lily. Dolores plies him with liquor, detaining him so that, when the note is finally delivered Joe has to swim the flooded North Fork in order to get to the dance in time. Annoyed by the attentions paid to his daughter by the impecunious young miner, Folinsbee tells him that he has no chance until he makes his "stake." A half-interest in the supposedly worthless Mammoth Mine has been foisted on Folinsbee by Lotski, a schemer. Culpepper, nephew of Colonel Starbottle, who drew up the papers, is in love with Sadie, Lotski's daughter. Culpepper finds indications that the mine is really valuable, and Lotski promises him his daughter's hand, if he will discover some way to fleece Folinsbee out of his share. Just when Culpepper finds a flaw in the deed, Folinsbee discovers the richness of the mine and, on the strength of this, he plans a trip to Europe. Lily objects, as she wants to remain near Joe. She meets him secretly and tells him that, despite their new riches, she will remain true to him. An Indian maid, twice befriended by Joe, has been left a map of a fabulously rich "Lost Mine" by her dying grandparent. Learning that poverty is keeping him from marrying the girl of his choice, she seeks him out to give him the secret. Her meeting with Joe is observed by the jealous Dolores, who takes advantage of this to make Lily believe that Joe is untrue to her. Lily, grief-stricken, hurriedly changes her plans and agrees to go to Europe immediately. She leaves a note which plunges Joe in deep woe, made even more unbearable by the knowledge that Hamlin, the gambler and suitor for Lily's hand, is to make the journey with the Folinsbees. In Paris Lily, thanks to the lavishness of her father, is installed the belle of the season, and is courted by the Count de Brie, who has advanced her father a large sum of money. Lily's heart is still Joe's, however, and there seems no chance for this titled lover, until news of the flaw in the deed strikes the family like a thunderbolt. Lily, in order to save her father from prosecution, offers to become the Count's bride. Hamlin, to save her from this sacrifice, plays the first crooked game of cards in his life with the Count and wins enough money to pay the debt for Folinsbee. The swindle is discovered by the Count, Hamlin is challenged to a duel, which ends in a wound for the gambler, the latter firing in the air, determined not to add bloodshed to his first fault. Then the Folinsbees and Hamlin return to Poverty Flat. When the party arrives at Marysville on the way home, Joe is with a posse in pursuit of a gang of robbers, whose leader, it has been learned, is Sanchez, now an outlaw. Through a stratagem, Joe is kidnapped by the bandits and hurried through the woods to a secret Indian camp. A note is left by Sanchez, demanding a heavy ransom or Joe. This is found by the Indian maid just as Hamlin and Lily ride up the road, having left Lily's parents to rest at Marysville. Hamlin instructs Lily and the Indian Girl to go on to Poverty Flat, and he rides on hard to catch up with the robbers. Lily disobeys instructions and with the Indian maid, makes her way by a cut-off to the secret Indian camp, the rendezvous of the gang. Here Joe has been carried across a bridge over the ravine and thrust into a hut on a narrow ledge. Hamlin, on his arrival, opens fire on the robbers, killing one. Sanchez dashes across the bridge and engages Hamlin in a savage encounter. Lily and the Indian maid, having seen the affray from a cliff overlooking the hut, start down the precipice, when the remaining bandit shoots and kills the Indian girl. Before he can shoot Lily, Hamlin disengages himself from Sanchez long enough to shoot him. Sanchez deals Hamlin a death wound with his knife. Lily, having clambered down to the hut, releases Joe. The two cross the bridge in time for the dying Hamlin to unite the hands of the lovers.
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