"Sam Twitty rubbed his hands together quite cheerfully, and went into the house to get his dinner.
""Did that woman change your five-dollar note?" asked the keeper of the toll-gate.
""Bless my soul!" exclaimed Sam. "I never thought to ask her."
""What did you ask her?" cried the woman. "She was out there for the longest time, and I thought of course you was gettin" your note changed."
"Sam smiled. "She was very interesting," said he."
"What a treasure Sam Twitty would be in a matrimonial bureau!" exclaimed the Mistress of the House.
"Provided he exercised a little more caution in the selection of his specimens," suggested John Gayther, respectfully. "Some might be too green and some the other way, you know; he didn"t seem over-particular."
"Three travellers pa.s.sed through," continued the Master of the House, "but not one of them could change a five-dollar note; and Abner chafed at the delay.
""I don"t like wastin" time like this," said he to Sam, as the two smoked their after-dinner pipes.
""Wastin"!" exclaimed Sam. "I don"t call this wastin" time. We didn"t start till late this mornin", and here we"ve got sight of two of her a"ready. Here"s this one, as red-cheeked and sociable as anybody could expect, and then there"s that gal in the buggy."
""Gal in the buggy!" exclaimed Abner. "What on earth are you talkin"
about her for?"
""Why shouldn"t I?" asked Sam. "I tell you, Cap"n Abner, she"s the prettiest and the liveliest young woman you"d be likely to meet if you cruised for a year, and she"s visitin" right in the neighborhood, and can"t be far from Shamrick."
""Codwollops!" said Abner, contemptuously.
"In the course of an hour old Joshua Asbury drove up in his farm-wagon, and changed the five-dollar note, and was glad to do it, for he did not like to carry so much inconvenient silver and copper in his pocket. The two friends now made ready to depart.
""Let"s hurry up," said Sam. "We"ve done fust-rate so far, and maybe we"ll sight one or two more afore bedtime."
""When you come back," said the woman, "I"d be glad to have you stop and rest, and give your horse a feed if you want to."
"Sam Twitty a.s.sured her most earnestly that they certainly would stop, whether they wanted rest and a feed or not; and he thanked her warmly as he paid for the kind entertainment she had given them.
""Sam," said Abner, when they were on the road, "the trouble with you is, you"re too quick. If you was at the tiller you"d run into the fust port you come to, and there wouldn"t be no v"yage at all."
""There"s no knowin" when a fellow may want to run into port," replied Sam, "and it"s a good thing to find out all about them as you"re coastin" along."
"A few miles from the toll-gate they came to the bottom of a long hill, and half-way up it they saw, going in the same direction as themselves, a man walking vigorously.
""By the general cut of his clothes," said Sam, "I"d say he is a minister."
""I expect you"re right," said Abner. "Most likely fillin" some fishin"
minister"s pulpit Sunday, and walkin" home Monday."
"The pedestrian clergyman walked more slowly as he neared the top of the hill, and the gray horse gradually overhauled him.
""Look a" here," said Sam, nudging his companion, "let"s give him a lift. He must be dreadfully hot. And then, by George, Cap"n Abner, jes think what a jolly thing it"ll be--goin" after her, and takin" a minister along, sittin" comfortable on the back seat! That"s like holdin" a landin"-net ready to scoop her up the minute you get her to the top of the water."
"They stopped and asked the clergyman if he were going to Thompsontown, and when he said he was, they invited him to get in and take the unoccupied seat. He proved to be an agreeable companion; he was young and very grateful. Sam soon fell into a very friendly conversation with him, and two or three times, when Abner thought that his friend was on the point of saying something that bore too directly on the object of their journey, he pressed his port boot gently upon Sam"s starboard slipper.
"Toward the middle of the afternoon they reached Thompsontown, where the young clergyman said he was going to stop for the night, and go on by train the next day. Sam Twitty was glad to hear this, and advised him to stop at the Spinnaker Boom, where he and Captain Abner intended to stay until they finished the business which brought them to Thompsontown.
"Thompsontown was a seaside resort, and rather a lively place in the season. There was a large hotel for summer visitors who could afford to pay good prices, and several smaller houses of entertainment, such as the Spinnaker Boom, where people of moderate means were made very comfortable.
"It was much too early for supper, and Captain Abner and Sam took a long walk on the beach, and at their invitation the young clergyman joined them. This gentleman, who did not seem to know any one in Thompsontown, proved to be a thorough landsman; but as he was chatty and glad to acquire knowledge, it gave Captain Abner and Sam a great deal of pleasure to talk to him on nautical points and thereby improve his mind.
On their return, Sam stopped with a start, and almost dropped his pipe.
""What"s the matter?" cried Captain Abner. "Did you see her spout?"
"Sam made no answer, but stood with his mouth open. He had remarkably good vision. The clergyman stopped and looked at him inquiringly.
""They are coming, both of them!" said Sam.
""Both of who?" asked Abner.
""The gal in the buggy, and the toll-gate woman.""
"If I were telling this story," here interrupted the Daughter of the House, excitedly, "I really do not know which one I would marry to Captain Abner!"
"Thank you for the compliment, my dear," said her father.
"Well, there they both were: side by side they were walking along the smooth beach and approaching our three men. Sam"s eyes sparkled. The toll-gate woman appeared much more comely and attractive than when engaged in her professional duties earlier in the day. She was now attired in fresh-looking summer clothes, and wore a pretty straw hat. As for the girl of the buggy, she was quite another person. It would have been impossible for any one who had merely seen her within the limited confines of a small vehicle to form any idea of the buoyant air and the lively step of this handsome young woman.
""Upon my word!" exclaimed Sam Twitty, advancing toward them. "Who would have expected to meet you two here!"
"At this meeting all our characters were variously affected. The toll-gate woman beamed with pleasure; the young woman of the buggy looked as if she were about to laugh; the young minister looked very much interested, although he could have given no good reason why he should be; the countenance of Captain Abner Budlong betrayed no interest whatever; and Sam Twitty was in a glow of delight.
""I suppose you are surprised to meet me here," said the toll-gate woman, "but this is the way of it: a neighbor and his wife came along soon after you left, and offered to bring me to Thompsontown; and of course I jumped at the chance, and left the toll-gate in charge of my brother, who lives hard by. And in the town, at the house of a friend, I met this young lady, and--" glancing at her companion, she added: "I really did not catch the name."
""Miss Denby," stated the young person referred to.
"The three men here bowed to Miss Denby; then, stepping nearer to Sam, the toll-gate woman asked in a low voice, "Who is the minister?"
""I don"t know his name," said Sam, "but I"ll find out in a minute." And then he approached the girl of the buggy. "I am so glad to see you," he said.
"She laughed outright. "It is awfully funny," answered she, "that you care whether you see me or not."
""I don"t think it"s funny at all," said Sam. "But jes let me ask you one thing: what"s the name of the toll-gate woman?"
""Well, I declare!" she exclaimed. "From the way she talked about you I thought you were old friends. Her name is Mrs. Sickles."
"Sam skipped over to the young clergyman and put his question: "Mr-r-r.?"
""Rippledean," said the young man.
"In an instant the quick-slippered Sam had joined the party in the bonds of conventional acquaintanceship, having added to the rest of his information the fact that he was Samuel Twitty of Shamrick.
""You are the funniest people I ever met," exclaimed the lively Denby girl. "None of you seems to know the rest."