- With gold beyond his wildest dreams, despised by his fellow-men, scorned by the women whose lives he had nearly wrecked, and with his own child turning away from his proffered embrace in horror, Jabez Crow looked back over the path he had trod and saw the specters of his misspent life. Obsessed with regret and remorse, he destroyed himself, leaving a will in which he endeavored to make reparation for the wrongs he had committed.—Mutual Film Company advertisement
- The Rev. Ralph Rivers, a young country parson, is in love with Mabel Deering, a pretty farmer's daughter. His rival is Jabez Crow, a country dandy, of wealth, who is favored by Mrs. Deering, while her husband encourages Mabel in her evident regard for the poor minister. Mrs. Deering schemes to get rid of the minister, and tells him Mabel is engaged to Jabez. Rivers is astounded, but believes her. A month later, he accepts a call to a western pulpit. Mabel marries Jabez. Jabez is miserly in his habits, his love of money makes him neglect his wife, who is sadly overworked, and regrets her marriage. Rivers has landed in the gold country and writes a letter to old Deering telling him of the fortunes being made. Jabez finds this letter and leaves his wife at home and goes to Arizona where he starts a general store. A baby is born to Mabel, but her husband is so absorbed in money making that he neglects to write to her, and Mabel sends a letter to Rivers asking him to find out if anything has happened to Jabez. Rivers calls on Jabez, who is angered. Ralph tries to tell Jabez he owes a duty to his wife, but Jabez orders him away. Jabez meets Evelyn Ross, a charming widow, and makes love to her. He arouses the jealousy of Lieut, Jones, who learns from the minister of Jabez's marriage and attempts to warn the widow, but she indignantly cuts him off telling him she is aware of Jabez's former marriage. Jabez gets a divorce and marries the widow. Then Mabel learns of the divorce she is crushed, and her father upbraids his wife for having brought about the marriage of their daughter. Two years later, Jabez is repenting his new bargain, for Mrs. Crow is an extravagant woman with the spirit to enforce her demands, Ralph Rivers and Mabel have been corresponding, and Mabel comes west to marry him. She is met at the settlement by the minister, and while they are talking the child wanders into Jabez's store. He asks her name, and she tells him Marlon Crow, Mabel and Ralph come in looking for the child, and noting the man's agitation try to persuade the child to go to her father, but she indignantly replies that she will not do so. Crow is stricken with remorse. Crow, now more than a millionaire, has foreclosed a mortgage on the church. His wife, meeting Lieut. Jones, has confessed her unhappy life with Jabez, and the couple have sauntered into the church. Unwittingly the minister has locked them in and turned the key over to Crow, who is furious when he opens the door and finds his wife and the lieutenant. His bitter words anger the lieutenant, who leaps upon him and is only prevented from killing Jabez by the interference of bystanders. The Indians, in a revenge spirit, attack the miners, who barricade themselves behind huge rocks. The redskins hid behind a stack of boxes containing dynamite, not knowing the deadly nature of the contents, and when they opened fire on the miners a few well directed shots from the whites exploded the dynamite and hurled the Indians to destruction. Ralph and Mabel are married. Crow realizes the prize he had lost and is obsessed with regrets and remorse. He finally decides that life is not worth living, and one morning they find his lifeless body, and a will leaving all his earthly possessions to Mabel and their child. -- Moving Picture World synopsis
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