The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap

Chester Wooley and Duke Egan, traveling salesmen, make a stopover in Wagon Gap, Montana, while heading to California. Their journey is interrupted by the murder of notorious criminal Fred Hawkins, which results in their being accused of the crime. The town's justice system quickly condemns them to hang, setting the stage for their struggle for justice.

Jim Simpson, the head of the local citizen's committee, recalls a local law stating that the survivor of a gun duel must pay the debts and support the family of the deceased. This law spares Chester and Duke from execution, but Chester is now legally responsible for Mrs. Hawkins and her seven children. The gravity of this responsibility plunges Chester into new obligations.

Chester goes to Mrs. Hawkins' farm where he is subjected to hard labor from dawn to dusk while caring for her and her children. To repay Hawkins' debt, Chester also works at the saloon at night, further exhausting himself. Mrs. Hawkins’s manipulative plan is to wear Chester down into marriage.

Knowing that no one dares harm Chester out of fear of supporting Mrs. Hawkins and her family, Jim Simpson appoints Chester as sheriff to help restore law and order. Chester carries a photograph of Mrs. Hawkins’ family for protection, and his reputation as a hero begins to grow among the townspeople.

Duke Egan seeks to free himself and Chester from their obligations by pursuing Judge Benbow to marry Mrs. Hawkins. He spreads a rumor that Mrs. Hawkins is about to become rich from the railroad buying her land, aiming to stir interest and competition among townspeople.

The rumor about Mrs. Hawkins’ potential wealth from the railroad gains traction, causing many in Wagon Gap to plot against Chester, hoping to marry her and share her supposed fortune. This creates a dangerous environment where Chester becomes the target of numerous schemes.

Jake Frame, the actual murderer, confesses to killing Fred Hawkins, clearing Chester and Duke of the crime. This confession results in their legal exoneration and allows them to leave town. Before departing, they admit that their earlier rumor about Mrs. Hawkins' wealth was fabricated.

With the false hope of wealth dismissed, Mrs. Hawkins agrees to marry Judge Benbow. She reveals that, contrary to the earlier rumor, the railroad actually offered her a substantial amount of money, and she is now considered wealthy, altering her position in the town’s social landscape.