Release date is 2026-05-21

The toll-keepers -- Chips from a naval officer's log -- A short account of Gibraltar -- A generous enemy -- Thirsty Jack -- A visit to Malta -- The fat captain -- A convict story -- The litter of pups -- About fishing -- An animal that has seen better days -- Charley Forder and his sisters -- My grandfather -- The children's hospital -- My first bear -- The plot discovered.

The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). )

The toll-keepers by Benjamin Clarke is a collection of short stories for children written in the late 19th century. Blending homely vignettes, maritime anecdotes, travel sketches, and gentle moral lessons, it likely centers on everyday kindness, courage, and faith, using lively incidents to instruct and entertain young readers.

Across the volume, brief tales range from the tender title piece—two little farm girls “keeping toll” at their gate while awaiting their father—to brisk sea-yarns and travel notes. “Chips” offers true naval anecdotes (a monkey scattering a hoard and a Kadi’s wry justice; foes later meeting as friends), while lively sketches recount Gibraltar’s strength and Malta’s curiosities (including the eerie Capuchin catacombs). Humorous cautions surface in “Thirsty Jack” and “The Fat Captain,” and colonial peril appears in an Australian bush episode. Animal pieces plead for gentleness (a runaway pup who learns discipline; a spirited defense of the much-abused donkey), while an informative essay explains the fisheries and the abundance of the seas. Domestic and devotional portraits—of a steadfast grandson’s love, a moving visit to the children’s hospital, and a providential dream that unmasks a plot—underscore the book’s themes of compassion, self-control, industry, and trust in God. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell, 1871