The Captain's Toll-Gate
The Captain's Toll-Gate is a short story written by Frank R. Stockton in 1873. It tells the tale of a retired sea captain who builds a toll gate on his property and charges travelers for passing through it. The story explores themes of greed, justice, and morality as the captain's actions lead to conflict with his neighbors and ultimately result in tragedy.
By Frank R. Stockton · First published 1897 · Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction, Drama · 38 chapters · 110,837 words
First lines
A long, wide, and smoothly macadamized road stretched itself from the considerable town of Glenford onward and northward toward a gap in the distant mountains. It did not run through a level country, but rose and fell as if it had been a line of seaweed upon the long swells of the ocean. Upon elevated points upon this road, farm lands and forests could be seen extending in every direction. But there was nothing in the landscape which impressed itself more obtrusively upon the attention of the traveler than the road itself. White in the bright sunlight and gray under the shadows of the clouds, it was the one thing to be seen which seemed to have a decided purpose. Northward or southward, toward the gap in the long line of mountains or toward the wood-encircled town in the valley, it was always going somewhere.
What this Textopian page supports
The Captain's Toll-Gate is listed on Textopian as a novel by Frank R. Stockton, dated 1897 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Frank R. Stockton
- Date: 1897 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Drama, Adventure, Literary Fiction
- Length: 110,837 words
- Structure: 38 chapters, 1,926 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Captain's Toll-Gate by Frank R. Stockton
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Captain's Toll-Gate?
- How does this novel by Frank R. Stockton fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Romance first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Saving The Toll by Frank R. Stockton
- The Lady In The Box John Gayther by Frank R. Stockton
- The One Pound Note by Sabine Baring Gould
- The Solid Muldoon by Rudyard Kipling
- The Boomerang by Frank R. Stockton
- Christmas Before Last Or The Fruit Of The Fragile Palm by Frank R. Stockton
Genres
- Romance — The central plot revolves around romantic relationships and their development.
- Historical Fiction — The story is set in a specific historical period, reflecting the customs and social norms of that time.
- Drama — The narrative includes emotional and relational conflicts among the characters.
- Adventure — The plot includes elements of travel and exploration.
Tags
adventure · mystery · fantasy · humor · satire · narrative · short story · American literature · 19th century · social commentary · character study · dialogue
Contents
- Olive
- Maria Port
- Mrs. Easterfield
- The Son of an Old Shipmate
- Olive Pays Toll
- Mr. Claude Locker
- The Captain and his Guest Go Fishing and Come Home Happy
- Captain Asher is not in a Good Humor
- Miss Port Takes a Drive with the Butcher
- Mrs. Easterfield Writes a Letter
- Mr. Locker is Released on Bail
- Mr. Rupert Hemphill
- Mr. Lancaster's Backers
- A Letter for Olive
- Olive's Bicycle Trip
- Mr. Lancaster Accepts a Mission
- Dick is not a Prompt Bearer of News
- What Olive Determined to do
- The Captain and Dick Lancaster Desert the Toll-Gate
- Mr. Locker Determines to Rush the Enemy's Position
- Miss Raleigh Enjoys a Rare Privilege
- The Conflicting Serenades
- The Captain and Maria
- Mr. Tom Arrives at Broadstone
- The Captain and Mr. Tom
- A Stop at the Toll-Gate
- By Proxy
- Here we Go! Lovers Three!
- Two Pieces of News
- By the Sea
- As Good as a Man
- The Stock-Market is Safe
- Dick Lancaster does not Write
- Miss Port Puts in an Appearance
- The Dorcas on Guard
- Cold Tinder
- In which some Great Changes are Recorded
- It has just Begun!