Charlie is an assistant to Izzy A. Wake, a painter and paper hanger. The two men are on their way to a job via a cart. The boss rides in the cart, leisurely sitting atop all their paraphernalia, while Charlie is hitched to the cart like a mule. The boss also treats Charlie like a mule, beating him with a stick to get him to move faster. When the boss opts to take a shortcut up a steep hill, the out-of-control cart descends and is nearly hit by an oncoming streetcar. A second attempt to scale the enormous hill is successful. At the house they are to paper, Charlie becomes distracted by the pretty maid. The boss has a misadventure and falls, his head ending up in a bucket of paste. Meanwhile, the short-tempered homeowner is contending with the threat of an exploding stove and an amorous French visitor who is making passes at his wife. Shots are fired—and the target turns out to be Charlie who has been enjoying the maid's company. An enraged Charlie gives the Frenchman, his boss, and the homeowner each a face full of paste. As the fight moves into the kitchen, the troublesome stove finally explodes. When the dust dies down, Charlie is nowhere to be seen. Slowly the oven door opens. Charlie looks out and retreats back into the stove.