Dagwood has an important task from each family member to complete while he's in town. He is supposed to get a train ticket for Alexander on his class trip to the state capitol. Blondie receives a telegram saying she's been awarded 1st prize and $500 in American Woman Magazine's Best American Recipe contest. He's to take Blondie's recipes to the bookshop to be bound and sent to the magazine for publication. Cookie breaks her toy china horse and Dagwood takes it to be fixed by Jack, the toymaker. He arranges them all and waits to hear when they'll each be done. Mrs. Dithers is jealous of the expensive dress Blondie has bought and pressures Mr. Dithers for one. The "bookmaker" (Barry O'Hara) calls for Dagwood at the office to tell him the book is finished and Mr. Dithers misinterprets to think he is placing bets at the horse track. The toymaker calls the office to give Dagwood the message that "his horse will be ready to go at 3:00" and that "it's all fixed". Now the Dithers thinks Dagwood is betting on fixed horses on money taken from their company. The train ticket seller (Phil Arnold) also calls and makes the Dithers think that Dagwood is skipping out of town. Mr. Dithers hires a detective named Jack B. Nimble (character actor Alan Mowbray) to follow Dagwood and investigate. Jack quizzes Cookie to learn Dagwood has money buried in their backyard. Dithers and Jack begin digging up the backyard. The pair begins digging themselves deep in every sense.