The story
“There was a mystery about the South American who had bought Hendrick’s Island. He shut himself up in his magnificent house, as in a fortress, and trespass upon his domain was forbidden. Tom Maitland believed that he had solved the mystery when he discovered that the stranger had a very beautiful daughter. Maitland invaded the forbidden ground, and he and Dolores met secretly. Soon he found that if he would win the daughter, he must court the good graces of her parents. But when he broached marriage, Don Miguel Carraza would not listen to such overtures from an Americano. Maitland was exiled from his island paradise, and the girl was closely guarded by Senora Maria, her mother.
“One day Maitland, disconsolately paddling along the shore, caught sight of somebody swimming desperately in midstream. He pulled out—to find it was Dolores. When he had helped the exhausted girl into the boat, he listened in amazement to her extraordinary story, and then rowed with all his might to the island. If it had not been for the timely aid of the young American, Carraza’s old political enemy would have gotten the better of him. When the Brazilian was safely tied up until the constable could be summoned from across the river, Don Miguel commended Maitland on the valiant fight he had put up. And this time, when the lover renewed his entreaties, he won the little senorita.”
Summary from Reel Life · 20 June 1914
