What the River Foretold - Production & Contact Info

What the River Foretold (1915)
Short | Short, Drama

Primary photo for What the River Foretold

What the River Foretold (1915)

Short | Short, Drama

Miner Jim Titus lives at Mrs. Trask's boarding-house. Of a retiring disposition, Jim secretly admires Maggie Trask, the landlady's daughter, although she adores him without restraint. He, however, is too reticent to observe it. One day Jim...See moreMiner Jim Titus lives at Mrs. Trask's boarding-house. Of a retiring disposition, Jim secretly admires Maggie Trask, the landlady's daughter, although she adores him without restraint. He, however, is too reticent to observe it. One day Jim receives a letter from a former partner, Bill Ward, inviting him to join him on a prospecting trip. He shows the letter to Maggie, who advises him to go. On the day of departure, Maggie breaks down, and Jim learns that she loves him. They plight their troth before parting, and Jim promises to return as soon as possible. Two years pass. Maggie waits vainly for some word of her lover, but Jim and Bill, far from civilization, are unable to send any word. The years have brought disappointment to them, too, for they are still in search for the elusive metal. Their water supply becomes exhausted and of their once large pack train they have left only one donkey. Jim, exhausted, becomes unconscious and Bill loads him on the donkey, successfully reaching a river. He drinks his fill and turns his eyes upstream. Jim revives, and crawling to the bank, drinks and looks downstream. It is an old superstition among the Arizona Indians that "He who drinks of the Hassyampa (River) and, rising, turns his eyes upstream, will never speak the truth again, he who drinks but rises with his face downstream will never leave the desert." Jim finds signs of gold in the sandy bottom and soon the two partners find they have struck it rich. Nothing will do but for Jim to return to Maggie and he takes Bill along with him to act as best man. They arrive in the town and preparations are made for the wedding. Bill is much more good looking than Jim and he exerts a strange influence over Maggie. On every occasion he makes love to the girl and finally she decides that she does not love Jim, but Bill. Bill and Jim have hidden all their gold upstairs in their room and Bill, after winning the girl's consent, takes the gold out and puts it in his suitcase. The night of the wedding arrives and Jim has gone for the minister. Bill makes Maggie write a note telling of leaving with Bill and the two elope. When Jim returns and learns the news his heart is broken and he returns to the river where the gold was found. Again he takes out a stake and makes an attempt to locate Bill. Finally he finds Bill and attempts to kill him, but the latter is saved by his wife, Maggie, and their baby. Bill becomes a gambler, never known to tell the truth. Many years pass. Jim is now a ragged, unkempt desert "rat." He still works his claim on the Hassayampa and returns to town now and then for supplies. On one of these periodical visits the old man gets in a faro game for relaxation and breaks the bank. The dealer, becoming frightened that he will succeed in getting away with the winnings, calls the proprietor of the house into consultation find with a new deck the proprietor takes charge of the game. From then on Jim begins to lose, and becoming suspicious, watches the dealer. At last his suspicion is verified, for he sees they are working a "sanded" deck on him. He calls the dealer's hand and recognizes in the man his former partner, Bill. Instead of killing the cheat, old Jim assists the dealer and owner to escape. Once outside, the two get in a powerful automobile, but Jim forces Bill to hand over to him $50,000, the amount that was stolen from him, and then discloses his identity. The two gamblers try to escape, but in vain, for the enraged miners puncture the tires and they are captured. The crowd then takes the two and hang them, but not before Jim has obtained the address of Bill's daughter, to whom he sends the $50,000, Maggie the wife having died. Jim returns to the banks of the Hassayampa, there to live the rest of his life. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
5 cast members

Name	Known for
Sherman Bainbridge Jim Titus Jim Titus See fewer	The Raid of the Human Tigers (1913)
Jack Holt Bill Ward Bill Ward See fewer	Cat People (1942)
Edythe Sterling Maggie Trask - The Landlady's Daughter Maggie Trask - The Landlady's Daughter See fewer	The Further Adventures of Stingaree (1917)
Grace Marvin Mrs. Trask - The Landlady (as Mrs. Marvin) Mrs. Trask - The Landlady (as Mrs. Marvin) See fewer	Second Hand Rose (1922)
Wellington A. Playter Actor (as Wellington Playter) Actor (as Wellington Playter) See fewer	Back to God's Country (1919)