A sanctimonious deacon punishes his young son for going swimming and not telling the truth about it. Taking the boy into his room he walks down to the village. A woman recently widowed, goes to collect her insurance money. On the way home she stops to do some shopping and drops her purse. The deacon, who has come to town to beg for an extension on his mortgage, is refused and is returning home in a very dejected frame of mind. He sees the purse at his feet. Knowing to whom it belongs, be cannot withstand the temptation. He takes the money and throws the empty purse away. This is found by a young chap, who picks it up to take to his wife. The widow informs the sheriff, who finds the purse in the young chap’s possession. He knows nothing of the money and is arrested on suspicion. When the deacon arrives home, be finds his boy dying of pneumonia. He thinks this is a judgment upon him for his hypocrisy and deceit. He takes the money and rushes with it to the widow, confessing the temptation. The young fellow is released and exonerated and the widow, out of pity, prevails upon the hardhearted rich man to give the deacon the time he needs on his mortgage. It is not long before the boy is on the road to recovery, to his father’s great joy.