Fool's Gold (I) (1916)
Short | Short, Drama

Fool's Gold (I) (1916)

Short | Short, Drama

Dick Webster is confidential secretary to J.J. Whittier, a capitalist. Dick and his wife, Molly, find it hard to live on the small salary he is receiving. Bruce Higgins is a clerk in Mr. Whittier's employ, and one day, noting Webster's ...See moreDick Webster is confidential secretary to J.J. Whittier, a capitalist. Dick and his wife, Molly, find it hard to live on the small salary he is receiving. Bruce Higgins is a clerk in Mr. Whittier's employ, and one day, noting Webster's brooding tries to cheer him up. Webster tells him of his troubles and Higgins invites him to meet some friends. He makes the acquaintance of Doris Vane, a "social vampire," and she attracts him by her charms. Doris and Higgins are partners in a scheme to make money easy and Webster agrees to furnish them with tips on the market. He does this and Doris places the information in the hands of Higgins. The trio make quite a large sum of money. According to the agreement Webster receives one-half of the money. He takes it home with childish pleasure, but when his wife learns how he got the money and realizes that it was dishonestly, she will have nothing to do with it, and pleads with him to return it to his employer. This he refuses to do and a quarrel ensues. Webster returns to the office, ever on the alert for new tips, but this time does not share the information with his partners and plays a lone hand. His luck is phenomenal and his wealth grows by leaps and bounds. His two partners, angry because he will not share his wealth with them, tell his employer and Webster is tired. The crowd of parasites which surround him, tell him how wonderful he is and cause him to believe that he is a master of finance. He believes that if he could marry into a family of established wealth he could increase his power. Accordingly he secures a divorce from Molly and begins to look about him for a new wife, Whittier and Doris have spread the news of the methods he used to secure his wealth and none of the people whom he wishes to associate with will have anything to do with him. Doris, however, wins his consent to their marriage. Their house becomes a gathering place for a swift set. Doris spends his money freely and Higgins, her companion, helps her. Meanwhile, Molly's child is born and really loving Dick, she pleads with his old employer to win him back to her. As the old man really at heart likes Dick, he agrees, but realizes that the only way to save him is to utterly crush him. Accordingly all the forces of Whittier's name is thrown into the battle and the climax is reached when Webster is ruined. Webster returns to his sumptuous home, which he finds filled with people, eating and drinking, and his wife openly caressing Higgins amid the cheers of her companions. His anger overcomes him and he sets fire to the apartment, holding the crowd in the room at the point of a revolver. He is finally overcome and they make their escape, while he sinks in a chair with his head on the table. The faithful old butler, however, drags him out and he walks the streets the balance of the night waiting for morning and his final fate. Next day marks the complete ruin of Webster. Shunned by the parasites, who were his friends when he had money, he goes to his wife, who was wife in name only, but she deserts him. He returns to the ruin of his home and sifts the ashes of his home through his fingers. Whittier has called upon Molly, told her about her husband's misfortune, and overruling her protests, insists upon her taking the money which he has taken from her husband. She still refuses, but when he gently tells her of her happiness and her baby child, she realizes he is right and accepts the money. The old man advises her to put the money in the bank, and begin life anew with her husband. As Webster is sitting among the ashes of his ruined home, thinking over what he has lost and that he has nothing to live for and wondering how he shall do away with his life, he finds a chubby hand nestling into his own and looks up into the eyes of his wife. Realizing that at last he has found riches which cannot be stolen from him, he takes the patient and forgiving wife into his arms. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
5 cast members

Name	Known for
Richard Stanton Dick Webster Dick Webster See fewer	Graft (1915)
Myrtle Gonzalez Mollie Webster Mollie Webster See fewer	The Level (1914)
L.M. Wells J.J. Whittier (as F.M. Wells) J.J. Whittier (as F.M. Wells) See fewer	Graft (1915)
Gretchen Lederer Doris Van Doris Van See fewer	The Silent Lady (1917)
Hayward Mack Bruce Higgins Bruce Higgins See fewer	Oliver Twist, Jr. (1921)

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