The story
“Algy had always been contented to ride in streetcars and never dreamed of the day that he would own an auto which his neighbors would dub ‘The Yellow Devil.’ His sweetheart was to blame for it, however, for she induced Algy to take a number of chances in a raffle gotten up by charity, and unfortunately for Algy, he won the auto. His first difficulty came when he tried to use the street in front of his house as a garage, but this is one case where the auto filled the bill, for it was small and humble and he could take it into his bedroom. This gave Algy an idea, and being afraid of facing traffic conditions, he learned to be a chauffeur indoors and succeeded fairly well, although he did damage considerable furniture. Later he took his sweetheart for a ride and had all the troubles of a real automobilist. By this time Algy was pretty well cleaned out of money and when his ‘Yellow Devil’ broke down again he was glad to trade it to a rural station agent for two tickets to his home town.”
Summary from The Moving Picture World · 1 November 1913
Another synopsis, from Reel Life · 25 October 19131 min
“In his latest comedy, Mr. Lonergan gently points a lesson for the young and impecunious who aspire to automobiles. Algy is a clerk, with an ambitious sweetheart who prevails upon him to buy chances in an automobile raffle—and as fate will have it, Algy gets the auto. It is called the ‘Yellow Devil’—however, it is a petite affair, and Algy turns his bedroom into a garage and the front stairs into a speedway. Then he ventures out on the roads and meets with all the troubles of a seasoned automobilist. He gets caught in a speed trap—cuts up his tires on broken glass—is robbed by a rural garage keeper—and made to fork over a small fortune for a miserable meal at a country roadhouse. By this time Algy hasn’t much money left in his clothes—so the next time the ‘Yellow Devil’ breaks down, he is thankful to trade it, with the station master, for two tickets home by rail. Algy and his sweetheart have a delightful ride home in the train. ‘Well,’ says the girl, consolingly, ‘the auto didn’t cost but $2.00 anyway—and I guess we got our money’s worth.’ But Algy is thinking of all he has laid out in that single afternoon—to return home no longer the distinguished owner of a car. He feels he has been cheated—and the reflection makes him a trifle pensive. In Algy’s case there is an eloquent warning for every young man in moderate circumstances—and for too aspiring sweethearts.”
