Joe Mackey, out of employment, enters his cabin in the far West, where his wife is lying ill, only to tell her the same old story, that he had been unable to secure work. Out of food, Mackley's wife offers him her wedding ring to pawn. Sam Sheppard, an express messenger on the D.L. & D. Railroad, is given a money package to deliver to W.B. Scott, superintendent of the Tropical division. Sheppard places the valuable package in the inside pocket of his coat, but when he reaches his destination he discovers that the package has disappeared. Mackley, in the meantime, tries to pawn the ring, and is rewarded by finding the money package on the railroad tracks. Mackley's wife makes him return the money to the proper authorities and he is rewarded for his honesty, which saves Sam Sheppard from going to the penitentiary.
