The story
“May Deering is the daughter of a celebrated astronomer who is more interested in the heavens than he is in his daughter’s sweetheart, Jack Webster. In fact, he holds not a tiny jot of interest when the latter calls one evening and sees the ideal of his dreams. This ideal takes ejectment from the house very much to heart, and with her sweetheart she plans that it shall not happen again—but that Jack shall see her again, for all that. So next day Jack enters in the costume and make-up of a dignified star gazer, and is hardly welcomed by his ‘brother astronomer,’ Professor Deering, who is proud to see from the visitor’s card that he is: Graf Heinrich von Twiller, A.M.B.C., Professor of Astronomy, University of Bauergarten. Professor Deering rushes the visitor to his observatory and discusses all the recent discoveries with him, finally inviting him to look through his telescope. The visiting astronomer takes a peek and pretends to find something very unusual. He pulls Professor Deering to the instrument, but the latter searches in vain for the unusual signs Von Twiller says he noticed. While Professor Deering is busy at the telescope his visitor becomes busy kissing his daughter, and each time Deering takes an extra peek, the visitor takes an extra kiss.
“Professor Deering leaves his visitor for a moment, and the latter reveals a paint pot and brush that he had sneaked in with him. Grabbing the outer lens of the telescope he paints the design of a comet on it, and when old Deering comes back and puts his eye to the instrument again, he dances with joy at what he sees. Then he rushes out to some of his friends to glimpse at the marvelous sight. May and the visitor laughs heartily, and the latter pulls off his spectacles and whiskers. Professor Deering then pops in, to see his ‘brother astronomer,’ revealed as Jack Webster, and orders him from the house. At this point the servant brings in a delegation of scientists who have responded to Professor Deering’s invitation to see the comet, but with the aid of a cloth and water, Jack has erased it from the lens. Professor Deering collapses when he finds the comet no longer apparent. Then Jack does his best work and promises the Professor that he will replace the comet and save him from disgrace at the hands of fellow scientists if he will consent to May’s marrying him. The Professor says ‘yes,’ and his good name is saved to him, and May is saved to Jack.”
Summary from The Moving Picture World · 22 April 1911
