When John Richerson discovered that a few hundred dollars were all that remained of the million he had inherited, he did not decide to turn over a new leaf and start afresh as a wiser and better man might have done. Instead, he spent the remainder of his fortune on an extravagant dinner to the friends of his vanished prosperity. After the last of the guests had started on his unsteady way homewards, John Richerson sat alone among the ashes of his fortune, and pondered. A brief consideration of the bitter prospects of the morrow convinced him that suicide was the only possible solution of his problem. It had started to rain, and Richerson went to the window and looked out. A woe-begone looking individual was leaning against a lamp post in the midst of the downpour. Acting on a sudden impulse, Richerson called him into the house. When the man was warmed and fed, he told Richerson his story. Joe Gadsden's downfall had been caused by drink. An immoderate love of liquor had caused him to lose everything worthwhile in life: position, the respect of his friends, and the love of the only girl who meant anything to him. His only decent achievement had been the writing of a play, and that had been without profit because his attempts to find somebody willing to read it had been fruitless. Stirred by idle curiosity, Richerson took the man's play, and glanced over the pages. What he saw caused him to read more carefully. Two hours later, Richerson reached the last pages of the manuscript, and drew a long breath. It was a masterpiece. The exhausted author had fallen asleep. As Richerson watched the sleeping man, he was struck with a sudden cunning plan. Calling his servant, he instructed him to wake Gadsden, give him money and turn him out. The next day Gadsden called and asked for his play, Richerson apologetically informed him that the servant had thrown it into the fire. Richerson took the play to a theatrical manager whom he knew well, and persuaded him to read it. Griswold, the manager, confirmed Richerson's sanguine hopes, and immediately set about to produce it. In the cast selected for its production, was Kitty French, the girl whom Gadsden had loved and lost. Richerson's troubles began when he was asked to rewrite a portion of one of the acts. Kitty French came to his rescue, and helped him out of his difficulty. Richerson promptly fell in love with her and proposed. Shortly afterwards, Gadsden confronted and denounced Richerson, and Kitty's suspicions were aroused. Space forbids us to tell how her loyalty to her first love, and woman's wit enabled her to expose the impostor, and make all things right again for Gadsden.