Delinquent Parents

Edythe Ellis, a middle-class , small town girl is secretly married to Charles Wharton, handsome but the weak-willed son of the town mayor, on the eve of his enlistment in World War One. Before he can get away the Armistace is signed, but Charles is reluctant to make their marriage known, not willing to arouse the wrath of his snobbish parents. A speak-easy rendezvous, a few spirited prohibition-era drinks and the inevitable car crash sends Edythe to the hospital where her impending motherhood is discovered. His parents refuse to let Charles see Edythe, after learning she was not seriously hurt. Edythe's mother supports her daughter during her ordeal, but when the child, a girl, is born she insists that it be sent to an orphanage.Edythe, broken hearted, is made to consent to the arrangement. The child, Carol, is adopted by the Caldwells, a kindly couple who have no children of their own, and is brought up to believe she is their own. Carol celebrates her eighteenth birthday in blissful