Upon the death of Mrs. Harding, she leaves a letter to her pastor revealing that her husband, who was cold and miserly, worked her to death. She requests that the pastor administer a trust she set up for her daughter, so that the girl can have the fineries her father denied her. The village milliner has new hat styles from New York, one of which catches the girl's eye. The pastor, honoring the dying mother's wishes, purchases the hat for the young lady. Soon, gossip begins to spread through the village.