They were not yet a team and they wouldn't be a team for eight more years.
Laurel is the star of the film.
He appears in virtually all the scenes, while Hardy only has a supporting role. They first meet in an alley when Laurel stumbles across a hold-up in progress. Laurel stands so close that Hardy accidentally slips the wad of bills into Laurel's pocket by mistake. During those years, Laurel and Hardy appeared separately in a variety of shorts. Laurel's starring roles frequently bore little resemblance to the character he would play once teamed with Hardy.