Alice's Aunt Ethel arrives for a short stay but, according to Ralph, she is packing more luggage than someone leaving for Africa. As always, Ralph gets the short end of the stick and has to sleep in the kitchen. Norton and Ralph try to figure out how to get rid of her and Ralph stages a phony backache - yelling and screaming in pain. Alice and Aunt Ethel come out of the bedroom to find out what happened and Ralph tells her that his back hurts and that he has to sleep on a comfortable bed to get better. Aunt Ethel was just about to leave for Cousin Mildred's but she decides to stay and help nurse Ralph back to health. She tells him that in order for his back to get better, he has to sleep on the hard kitchen floor, not a soft bed.