Living in adjoining homes at Oakdale, Hal Oilman and Alice Blanchard are childhood friends and playmates. Some years later. Hal goes to college, and while there makes a bitter enemy of Bert Peyson. by exposing him as a card cheat and a thief. Hal takes up college extension and settlement work, and makes it his mission in life. Returning to Oakdale, he finds Alice a beautiful young lady of 19, with a love affair. She confesses to Hal she is in love, but does not divulge the young man's name, and as her father strongly disapproves of her sweetheart, she warns him not to come to Oakdale. Hal and Alice become almost like brother and sister, but friendship slowly ripens into love, with the result that she neglects the other man. Hal is called to the city to take up settlement work, and on the eve of his departure, Alice is persuaded by her old love to elope and goes to meet him in the city, on the same train with Hal. On the way, she confesses she is eloping and he gives her some brotherly advice. At the city station, the expectant lover proves to be none other than Bert Peyson. When he takes Alice's arm. Hal grimly steps between them and gives the rascal just two minutes to make himself scarce. With a vivid remembrance of the affair at college, Peyson, without a word, quickly disappears. Hal explains matters to Alice, but she does not seem to feel very badly over the affair and tells him, "I'm done with a man who runs away from another without a word." He prepares to leave the girl at a hotel when two telegrams arrive, addressed to "Mrs. Hal Oilman," insisting in a half-jocular manner, there must be a home wedding. Both Hal and Alice feel embarrassed at finding their parents supposed they had eloped and do not know just what to do until he takes Alice's hands and tells her he knows a minister who sits up nights. With a smile of confidence and love, they both start for the minister's house.