The story
“He was a young clerk with very little ambition and even less money. In the directory he figured as a resident of the great and glorious metropolis, but his home was in a back room in a dingy boarding house. One morning fortune smiled upon him, for he received word from a firm of lawyers that his uncle had died, leaving a most peculiar will. Under its provisions the young man was to receive $50,000 outright, and if he succeeded in losing this money in foolish investments within six months, he could inherit $1,000,000 more. Why the old uncle made such a will is not explained, but as the lawyer said, he had a perfect right to dispose of his money in any way he saw fit. The young man believed it to be easy to get rid of $50,000 within the time limit, but the fates seemed to be against him. He made any number of foolish investments, but each time he scored success. Even when he received a straight tip that a plot was afoot to cripple one of the boats in an exciting yacht race, he was unable to lose money by following the information. Finally an excellent chance came his way, for in one of the city parks he met a tramp who had a borax mine to sell. The young man purchased a half interest in the borax mine, giving up all of the money he had and was thoroughly confident that he would never hear from the tramp again. On the day the six months were up, he called up his lawyer and claimed to have fulfilled the conditions, but just as he was about to receive the legacy a telegram arrived from the faithful tramp, saying that while the borax had petered out, the two were the owners of a wonderful gold mine, which was worth millions, yet as the young man said himself, ‘He Couldn’t Lose.’”
Summary from The Moving Picture World · 22 November 1913
Another synopsis, from Reel Life · 15 November 19131 min
“This comedy of the young man who, to save his soul, couldn’t lose fifty thousand dollars—is laughable from start to finish. Just to meet such a lucky fellow does one’s heart good. His erratic uncle left the money to him under the condition that he should squander the entire fifty thousand in foolish investments within five months [sic; inconsistent with six months mentioned in the preceding synopsis]—and then he would come into the heritage of one million dollars more. The young man plunges in merrily—but every deal he makes, however rash, more than doubles his investment. At last, he meets a tramp with a borax mine to sell, and buys a half interest. At the end of five months, he calls on his lawyer, and is about to receive the legacy, when a telegram arrives—announcing that although the borax prospect has indeed failed, Rusty and his partner are in possession of gold in enormous quantities. Consternation is written all over the young man’s face. Then he flings back his head, and laughs heartily. ‘Why, I don’t need your old million dollars, confound it! I’m a rich man for the rest of my life!’”
