pleasant dreams by a voice outside the door. He
bounced to his slippered feet, and entered the toll-house.

"On the roadway was a buggy and a horse, and in the buggy sat a smiling
young woman. Why she smiled Sam could not imagine; but then, he could
not see the comical expression on his own face on being thus suddenly
aroused to a sense of his duty.

"'How much is the toll?' said the young woman, still smiling.

"Sam looked at her; she was a good-looking young person, and he liked
her smile, for it betokened a sense of humor, and that pleased him. 'How
much?' he repeated. 'A vehicle, a man, and a horse--'

"'But this is a girl and a mare,' she interrupted. 'How much is that?'

"Sam looked up and smiled. This young person certainly had a sense of
humor. 'I wonder how much that would be,' he said. 'I guess I'll have to
get a pencil and paper and work it out.'

"The girl laughed. 'You are not the toll-gate keeper?' she asked.

"'No,' replied Sam. 'I'm keepin' it for her. She's eatin' her dinner.
Don't you know the toll yourself? You've paid it before, haven't you?'

"'No, I haven't,' she replied. 'I am visiting in the neighborhood. But I
won't haggle about being a girl. I'll pay the price for a man, if you
will let me know what it is.'

"An idea came suddenly into Sam Twitty's head: this was a very bright
girl, a very attractive girl, who was visiting in the neighborhood, and
he determined to keep her at the toll-gate a few minutes if he could.

"'I don't want to make any mistake,' he said quickly. 'I'll jes pop into
the house and see what the toll really'll be for you.'

"'Oh, you needn't do that,' said the young woman. 'Of course it is the
same--'

"But Sam was gone; and she laughed and said to herself that the deputy
toll-gate keeper was a very funny person. Sam ran to the house, panting.
He beckoned to Captain Abner to step outside.

"'Look a' here,' he said; 'you hurry out to the gate and take a good
long look at the girl that's there. She's a-visitin' in the
neighborhood. Now mind you take a good look at her, and I'll be there in
a minute.'

"Without exactly understanding the reason for this earnest injunction,
Abner went to the gate. He was accustomed to taking Sam's advice if he
saw no good reason against it.

"The toll-gate woman was on her feet, but Sam detained her, and said
something about the relation between sex and toll.

"'Well, well,' said the woman, 'she must be a queer one. I'll go out