William Fables

I. Noah Heap, after giving a number of the race track patrons some poor tips, is chased by the copper, Welland Strong, who is ever on his trail. Noah's attempts to panhandle the crowd are also thwarted by the ever watchful Strong, who seizes and throws him bodily into the street. Noah wanders into a Chinese laundry and induces the owners to give him a smoke. He plants himself in the old man's bunk and after a couple of drags at the pipe he is off for a wonderful dream.

The plot and setting is actually a bit like Keaton's The Three Ages will be in 1923. But less sophisticated: The Roman Emperor Mulius Caesar borrows more money than he should. The loan shark is all over him and exploits this to get near the emperor's daughter. A slave falls in love with the daughter and sends the loan shark in a rage – unless the slave is sent to Colosseum he will foreclose the emperor's mortgage.