Nothing But the Half Truth

Wellington Bassett telephones his identical twin, Wooton, from an airport in Chicago. Bad weather will prevent him from meeting Fox Fletcher, an influential businessman, in Connellsville, so he asks Wooton to collect a contract. Wellington tells him to dress formally, remain silent, and simply smile and nod without explaining that Fox will mistake him for Wellington.

At Whit's End, Marvin is staying with Whit while the Washington family travels. His parents have placed him on restriction so he can concentrate on improving his grades. When Trent invites him over, Marvin says he may visit only if they study, although Trent and his friends actually plan to play paintball.

Fox welcomes Wooton as Wellington and says he would not have signed the deal if Wellington had sent an assistant. Wooton breaks his promised silence when Fox serves terrible homemade root beer as a test of honesty. His blunt but playful truthfulness delights Fox, who assumes that the unusually lively man is Wellington and insists that they play golf before signing.

Wellington argues that Wooton has not lied because he never stated that he was his brother. He pressures Wooton to continue the impersonation, claiming that the business deal will support a children's charity. Wooton's conscience troubles him, but the appeal to help children persuades him to meet Fox on the golf course despite knowing almost nothing about the game.

Marvin performs a token bit of homework with Trent and then joins the paintball game. When Whit arrives to collect him, Marvin hides his paint-covered clothing beneath a poncho. He carefully avoids making a directly false statement, yet every strange answer is intended to keep Whit from discovering how he spent the afternoon.

Wooton's terrible golf only makes Fox like him more. Each time Wooton asks for the contract, Fox delays signing it - first until golf ends, then until a charity banquet that evening. Wooton now faces another appearance as Wellington, including a speech before the guests.

On the way, Fox stops at Whit's End. Whit recognizes Wooton at once, forcing him into increasingly awkward wordplay while Fox explores the building. Whit happens to be returning a fan that Bart Rathbone advertised as having three speeds even though two settings are off and reverse. As Whit condemns that technically worded deception, Wooton hears his own conduct described.

Wellington finally reaches Odyssey and expects Wooton to impersonate him at the banquet too. Wooton refuses. Even without speaking the exact words, he has deliberately encouraged Fox to believe something false. He calculates that seven half-truths amount to three and a half lies and tells his brother that he cannot deceive his own conscience.

Marvin tries to wash away the paint before Whit sees it and accidentally believes he has turned Whit's white laundry pink. When confronted, he argues that he did study and never explicitly promised not to play afterward. Whit points out that the paint behind Marvin's ear and his frantic cover-up prove that the half-truth was designed to deceive. Marvin admits what he did and accepts that Whit must tell his parents.

Before the banquet, Wooton telephones Fox and reveals the impersonation. Fox then amuses himself by letting Wellington struggle to imitate Wooton's cheerful behavior. He reveals that the announced fifty-percent charity gift was another test and that Wooton did not alter the contract. Fox may still sign if Wellington agrees to give ten percent, but first he makes the dishonest businessman lead the entire banquet in Wooton's enthusiastic chicken dance.