Every Man for Himself

A young man entrusted with a summer residence becomes entangled in a sequence of personal reverses—injury, theft, and damaged reputation—that trigger a web of rivalries and secret machinations. Through episodes involving a missing tan satchel, a listening stenographer, clandestine encounters aboard a private rail car, and escalating confrontations, the narrative alternates tense set pieces—fights, a race, and unsettling revelations—with quieter scenes of rapprochement and explanation. The story moves briskly between suspense and social comedy as characters contend for money, standing, and escape, culminating in a scramble that tests loyalties and individual resourcefulness.