Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Fee Payment Necessary Obligation

“Two-bit toll roads” are another aggravation.

Especially if one doesn’t have a quarter.

Or, even worse when one can’t find a place to change a green-buck into four twenty-five-cent-pieces.

As would be expected, with our tightwad ways, any road that we have to pay extra to drive on doesn’t please us.

Yet, we understand highways cost bundles, and grudgingly pay the fees. But, what other choice do we have? Troopers have charged us enough for heavy-throttles that we don’t need to give them another cause.

This time we were prepared. Several weeks earlier in an advertising-sales-trip to Oklahoma, we were a passenger, but the driver had to pay extra to drive on several different sections of roadway.

Unintentionally, he sped right past the first unmanned “two-bit-tollbooth,”
without paying, and then realized what he’d done. We didn’t go back to settle up, and fortunately didn’t have any red-blinking-lights in the rearview mirror.

Scavenging through pockets, glove box and dashboard, two dimes and a nickel were found to throw into the next toll basket.

Thus, we knew what to expect on a recent judging-trip in the same locale, and asked an earlier toll attendant to break bills into two-bit-pieces for upcoming machines.

Sure enough, they were still there, and we pulled up to the basket bearing written orders “25 Cents Two Axle Vehicles,” tossed a quarter in, held our breath, and the red light turned green. We did it once more before reaching our motel.

It’s best to scout out show grounds the day before if possible, and we had time to do that, not expecting more quarter-tolls.

But, there were, and we flipped two-bits in, and drove on. For the next two days, the routine was repeated before entering, and upon leaving the show, as well as on the track home.

Every time, we were tempted to go through the red lights with paying and see if anybody would come after us for two-bits. Still, we didn’t have the nerve.

On a judging job in Boston a decade ago, we had similar experience, became lost and paid the same quarter-toll-basket four times before finding our way.

Reminds us of Roman 13:7: “Render to all their dues. Pay revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due and honor to whom honor is due.”

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