"All right," they assented, and producing a piece of straight-edged board, _stricted_ them. "Have to watch these millers a little," Addison remarked. "And I guess, Jock, you had better not toll all the bags till you see whether there's water enough to grind all of it." "O, there's water enough," said they. "There's a whole damful." They then poured the first bagful into the hopper over the millstones, and went to hoist the gate. It was a very primitive, worn piece of mechanism, and hoisting it proved a difficult task. Addison and Halstead went to help them. At length they heaved the gate up; the water-wheel began to turn and the other gear to revolve, making a tremendous noise. I climbed down beneath the mill, at the lower end, to see the water-wheel operate. The wheel and big mill post turned ponderously around, wabbling somewhat and creaking ominously. By the time I went back into the mill, above, the first bagful of corn was nearly ground into yellow meal, which came out of the stones into the meal-box quite hot from the molinary process. Addison was dipping the meal out and putting it up in the empty bag. "Is it fine enough?" Jock called out. "I can drop the stone a little, if ye say so. We will grind it just as ye want it." Presently something went through the millstones that made an odd noise; and the young miller, George, accused Halstead of throwing a pebble into the hopper. They had a dispute about it, and George complained that such a trick might spoil the millstones. Another bagful was poured into the hopper and ground out; and then Addison and I brought along the third bagful. "Hold on there," said Jock. "I haven't tolled that bag." We thought that he had tolled it. "No," said both Jock and George. "You said not to toll that last bag till we saw whether there was water enough to grind it." "But you declared that there was water enough, and tolled it!" cried Halstead. Addison and I could not say positively whether they had tolled it or not; and they appeared to think that it had not been tolled. The point was argued for some moments; finally it was agreed to compromise on it and let them have one measure of toll out of it. So there was two quarts of loss or gain, whichever party was in error. When the last bagful was nearly ground and the hopper empty, all save a pint or so, Jock and George ran to shut the gate and stop the mill. "Hold on!" cried Addison. "That isn't fair. There's two quarts in the stones yet; we shall lose all that on top of toll." "But we must shut down before the corn is all through the stones!" cried Jock, "or they'll get to running fast and grind themselves. 'Twon't do to let them get to running fast, with no corn in." "Well, don't be in such haste about it," urged Addison. "Wait a bit till our grist is nearer out."