A pampered rich boy named Wally, Wally Albright, is spoiled by an overprotective mother who keeps him shielded from the world. After a visit to the doctor, she wraps him in blankets and heads out to do some shopping, insisting that Wally go straight home with no detours to play. The snobbish and timid chauffeur, Barclay, Don Barclay, drives him back, and Wally, eager to find friends his mother would overlook, presses him to take a detour. He prods Barclay with a daring request: <br>
> "drive through some alleys... some dirty ones"
On that risky detour, they stumble upon a group of kids in an alley on a vacant lot, gathered around a homemade merry-go-round. The device is powered by the gang’s pet mule, Algebra Mickey Daniels, who spins the platform in circles whenever he sneezes and stops only when a bell rings like an alarm clock. Wally has been seeking companionship among youngsters whom his mother would likely scorn, and the sight of these kids—led by Spanky George McFarland and joined by Scotty Scotty Beckett and Stymie Matthew Beard—offers him something new and exciting.
The kids soon charm Barclay into driving them back home at a leisurely pace, pulling Algebra behind the car on a rope. A growing crowd gathers when Algebra, hearing a stop sign at a busy intersection, sits down and won’t move. Barclay even finds himself in a disagreement with a traffic cop, until Spanky offers a workable plan. The group is crammed into the front seat while Algebra sits comfortably in the back, the initial disarray giving way to a strange, energetic unity.
Back at Wally’s house, the fun continues in the yard, though Barclay’s discomfort grows as he tries to corral Algebra. The mule finally kicks him, knocking Barclay unconscious, and Wally’s housekeeper, Julia Griffith, screams at the pandemonium unfolding inside. In the chaos that follows, Barclay’s sneeze triggers another chase as Algebra tears through the house, with sneezes and ringing bells echoing the earlier mischief. The moment escalates as Wally’s mother Peggy Leon returns home unaware of the mayhem about to unfold; she witnesses the chaotic scene and, alarmed, flees as Algebra gives a loud, unrestrained laugh.
The scene tightens into a broader comedy of manners and misadventure, where a sheltered boy and a rowdy, exuberant gang discover a shared sense of freedom—even if it comes with sneezes, bells, and a mule with a theatrical laugh. Through the mounting chaos and the kids’ quick thinking, the story paints a humorous portrait of class, friendship, and the irresistible pull of a group that won’t be tamed by status. The memorable moment—Algebra’s roar of laughter—becomes a small, mischievous triumph that stays with the characters long after the sequences end.
