Plot

Trampas feeling sorry for an old cowboy and his grandson decides to hire him at Shiloh on his own. The old man complains about the way the other hands do their jobs but his mistakes and accidents proved costly to others and Shiloh itself.

Old time cowboy Murdock and his grandson Willy walk into Medicine Bow looking for a job as a top cow hand but he is years beyond his prime. They stop The Virginian but he turns Murdock down for Shiloh. Murdock uses the little change they have to play poker with Belden, Randy, and Trampas. Although he wins initially, he loses all but a dime which he uses to buy Willy soup and himself a beer. Trampas feeling sorry for him, decides to hire him for Shiloh. Murdock continually says he has a twenty dollar gold eagle coin in boot for emergencies but only Willy believes him. Murdock tries to do the work but consistently makes mistakes including branding a neighboring ranch's cattle with the Shiloh brand and stampeding their cattle causing the owner to break his arm. His animosity with Trampas grows with Willy's worship of the younger Trampas. When Trampas goes to fire him under The Virginian's orders, Murdock knocks over a kerosene lamp burning down the barn and the winter pasture for the cattle. Due to a shortage of hands needed to split and move the herds, Murdock is sent with Randy and Trampas. Trampas has injured his hand leading to an infection requiring Randy to go for a doctor. Murdock, who told Willy he would not return unless he successfully moved the herd, takes it upon himself to move the herd alone when wolves stampede them. He succeeds but on his return he falls off his horse at the gate to Shiloh due to exhaustion. When Trampas removes his left boot, Willy finds no gold coin but pretends he has it. Later when they put Murdock to bed and remove his right boot they find the double eagle.—Anonymous