Trama

Col. Brown, owner of Circle X ranch, is very much interested in the study of medicine. The boys are aware of it, but it was left to irrepressible "Buck Hoover" to make capital out of it. Buck secures a patent medicine book and decides to have consumption in its worst form. He pours over the book and learns the symptoms of the dread disease by heart. The next day while the ranchman is passing through the grub tent, he coughs in a hollow manner; the ranchman turns quickly and questions Buck, who recites his lesson and is ordered to bed. Then comes the softest period in Buck's more or less eventful life; beef tea, port wine and jellies are fed to him and then, enter the green-eyed monster of jealousy. Bill Dobbs feels that he, too, needs a little rest and incidentally a portion of the delicacies that fall to Buck's lot. Buck refuses to part with his precious book, but Bill coolly tells him, it's either the book or exposure. Bill gets the book. After scanning the pages Bill decides he has a weak heart. That very day he gets his opportunity, and when the ranchman is looking, he claps his hands to his heart and staggers. The ranchman is at his side in a moment, and very soon Bill is resting comfortably in his bunk. Buck and Bill carefully guard the patent medicine book, but the other boys cannot see why they should do all the work while Buck and Bill are living on the fat of the land. They demand that the book be turned over to them; the demand is refused and the book is taken away by force. Very soon the ranch is turned into a hospital. The ranchman, of course, is delighted. At times he had almost hoped that one of the boys would fall ill, but to have eight of them down at once with various ailments; it was almost too good to be true. It is the ranchman's custom to make periodical visits to town, telling his patients he would not be long, he rides off. He soon returns for his wallet. As he is about to enter the house he hears sounds of revelry and nearly collapses at the sight that greets his eyes. He sees Buck, the consumptive, smoking a cigarette, Bill, with a weak heart, doing a breakdown with the paralytic, and altogether they appear to be the healthiest crowd of cow punchers that ever roped a steer. Almost overcome the ranchman steals away and then and there decides to teach them »a lesson. How well he succeeds is evidenced by the fact that the boys of Circle X ranch no longer complain of even so much as a toothache.—Moving Picture World synopsis