A farmer sets off to take his dairy products to market, leaving his wife and daughter alone. During the day, a vagrant seeks shelter in the house. Not daring to refuse, the farmer's wife tells him he can go to the attic to sleep until he is rested. In the attic, he discovers rat poison, a powder that looks like salt. He waits until the hostess is out of the way, sneaks down the stairs, and sprinkles the poison into a stew on the stove. Unbeknownst to him, the farmer's young daughter sees what he is doing.