The Gay Old Dog [1917]

Jo Hertz, a fifty-year-old plump and lonely bachelor living in Chicago, finds himself reflecting on his life after observing troops heading to war, which stirs deep-seated emotions about his own missed opportunities for marriage and fatherhood. Despite his current life as a “Loop-hound,” indulging in the superficial pleasures of the city and surrounding himself with luxury, a chance encounter with Emily, the woman he once loved, reawakens feelings of what might have been. Emily, now married with a son going off to war, embodies the life of family and purpose that Jo missed out on. His sisters, Eva and Stell, concerned with their brother’s seemingly undignified behavior and its impact on their social status, confront him, leading to an explosive revelation of Jo’s deep-seated resentment towards them for their role in his lifelong bachelorhood. Feeling responsible for his current solitary state due to their past interference and his promise to their dying mother, Jo lashes out, expressing his longing for the son he never had. The narrative highlights the sorrow of unfulfilled dreams and the realization that it might be too late for Jo to find true happiness and meaning in his life beyond the temporary distractions of his Loop-hound existence.