The Eel is on the loose and Harry has 15 Benjamins cold cash hidden in the house. This situation makes Harry nervous so Beulah talks Bill into guarding the Henderson home for the evening.
Bill babysits for the seven-year-old daughter of one of Mr. Henderson's business associates.
Bill is trying to win a peanut machine maintenance contract. He discovers that the machine owner attends the local book club with all the other "stuffed shirts". So Bill studies Shakespeare and other cultural works so he can join the club.
Oriole spreads rumors that the Henderson's marriage is on the rocks.
Donnie charges a baby buggy to his father's account at the local department store to get new wheels for his soapbox derby racer. When Beulah sees the buggy hidden away and learns that Alice is sewing a maternity dress, she assumes that another Henderson baby is in the offing and organizes a maternity party.
The Hendersons are concerned when Miss Matilda, the instructor of Donnie's dance class, reports that their son is a awkward klutz and the girls had to draw straws to see who would have be his dance for the annual dance recital. Beulah and Bill offer to show Donnie a few of their dance steps and soon Donnie is dancing the jitterbug with confidence and panache. Unfortunately Donnie's date cancels at the last minute and the date Beulah finds for the youngster stands a full foot taller than the 10-year old. To make matters worse, Donnie's new jitterbug skills don't translate well to waltzing.
In an effort to save money, Harry fires his gardener and divides his tasks amongst the rest of his household - he'll mow the grass, his wife will water the lawn and his son will weed the garden. Of course, the Hendersons all have previous engagements and Beulah winds up having to do all their outdoor chores. The health of Harry's prize rosebush is her biggest concern - it's doing poorly so she and Bill dig up the plant and take it to the local garden shop for analysis and the plant is accidentally sold to another customer. Now Buelah must find a suitable replacement before Harry notices his favorite rosebush is missing.