The story
“A heedless servant demolishes the dolls’ trolley line with which Maurice and his little sister Lou are playing. The children seek revenge. Stealing up to the roof, they cut the clothesline. The wind is blowing hard, and the whole week’s washing sails away before the eyes of the distracted Norah. The clothes have a remarkable career, and affect the lives of many different people. A young man, much the worse for liquor, stumbles into his room, and is horrified to see what he supposes are snakes crawling up and down his window. It is only the shadow of a belt and some neckties on the clothesline, but it makes him resolve to turn over a new leaf. An old maid’s hopes are vainly raised by the sight of overalls on her balcony. A clothes’ dealer sees an opportunity to get some stock for nothing—but finds he can’t overtake the runaway apparel, which travels rapidly on over the housetops. At last, the clothes come to rest on the fire-escape outside a tenement window. A poor widow and her three children are overjoyed to find dresses and skirts and stockings, and many other things which they need, all come to them out of the air, like a gift from heaven.”
Summary from Reel Life · 22 May 1915
