Page:Peterruggmissing00austrich.djvu/45

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THE MISSING MAN.
39

so many times. "Toll!" said Rugg, "why do you demand toll? There is no toll to pay on the King's highway." "King's highway! do you not perceive that this is a turnpike?" "Turnpike! there are no turnpikes in Massachusetts." "That may be, but we have several in Virginia." "Virginia! do you pretend that I am in Virginia?

Rugg then appealed to me, and asked how far jt was to Boston. Said I, "Mr. Rugg, I perceive you are bewildered, and am sorry to see you so far from home; you are indeed in Virginia." "You know me then, sir, it seems, and you say I am in Virginia. Give me leave to tell you, sir, that you are the most impudent man alive, for I was never forty miles from Boston, and I never saw a Virginian in my life. This beats Delaware." "Your toll, sir, your toll!" "I will not pay you a penny," said Rugg, you are both of you highway robbers; there are no turnpikes in this country. Take toll on the King's highway! Robbers take toll on the King's highway." Then in a low tone he said, "here is evidently a conspiracy against me; alas! I shall never see Boston! The highways refuse