- Tommy Buckman, the ne'er-do-well son of dime store magnate John Buckman, is given one last chance to succeed by surveying a possible location in New England for the opening of another store in his father's chain. Arriving in the town of Winton, Tommy lands in jail and, disowned by his father, is bailed out by Nina Potter, whose father owns the only dime store in town. Tommy accepts a job as a delivery boy in the Potter store and soon rises to the post of general manager. When Buckman opens the store across the street, Tommy, now an adroit manager, corners the market. Old Buckman is sent for, and when he arrives to discover that his own son has beaten him in business, he consents to Tommy's marriage to Nina and withdraws his store from the town of Winton.
- In the small town of Winton, Phillip Potter keeps the only Five-and-Ten-Cent Store. He is a typical small-town merchant who shows no progression in either action or attire. He is a semi-invalid. Nina, his daughter, is a complete antithesis to her father. When the town doctor urges Potter to take a vacation. Nina forces him to follow this advice and determines to run the store herself. She immediately begins to advertise and to clean up the whole store. William Tobias, the real estate dealer, threatens to raise the lease of the store because Nina will not marry him. He writes to John Buckman that be can offer him a store in the heart of the city, directly opposite the only Five-and-Ten-Cent Store and that he will hold the option for thirty days. Buckman sends his son Tommie, a gilded youth, to Winston to report on the advisability of placing a store there. It is Tommie's chance to make good. Buckman then sends Brown to Winton so that he can check his son's report. Tommie arrives in the small town, visits the Five-and-Ten-Cent Store, and to cover his tracks, buys a dollar's worth of ribbon. Tobias taunts him for his purchase, a fight is begun and Tommie lands in jail. He sends a telegram to his father, saying that he is innocent, but the answer is that God takes care of the innocent and that Mr. Buckman is through with him. Tommie then appeals to Nina who arranges to have him released from prison. Tommie accepts a position in the store, but soon he becomes the manager of the place and a general favorite with Nina and all the clerks. Meanwhile, on Brown's enthusiastic report, Buckman has opened a store in competition to Nina's. But Tommie watches closely and eventually outdoes Brown in every way. Brown becomes very discouraged and finally wires Buckman to come to Winton. Nina invents a "sad iron" and Tommie goes to the city to sell the patent. His friend Phil manages the business end of the deal and sells the iron to Buckman for five thousand, the money necessary to pay the new lease on the store. But, celebrating with his club-fellows, Tommie is put on a train going in the wrong direction so that he does not arrive in Winton when Nina expects him. Tommie has gone by the name of John Jones in Winton, but Tobias discovers that he is really Buckman's son, and informs Nina of this fact, telling her that Tommie is only a spy, working for his father's interest. She also sees a large advertisement of the "sad iron" in the opposite store and concludes that Tommie has betrayed her trust in him. She begins to weep and Tobias, taking advantage of his opportunity, puts his arms about her. Tommie, meantime, arrives in Winton and rushes to the store. He sees Nina in the arms of Tobias. He then writes a note to her, confessing to being Buckman's son, but denying being a traitor or spy, enclosing the check for five thousand dollars and congratulating her upon her coming marriage. A clerk hands the note to Nina and she runs from the office and catches Tommie as he is getting ready to leave. She explains her side of the trouble and he adds his explanation. Tommie grabs Nina and impulsively embraces her. Buckman comes to Winton, and he and Brown walk into the store across the way, and are shown to the office where they find Tommie and Nina sitting on top of a desk, their arms about each other.
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