midnight
`` We had to take the boys that were out there under the oak . '' Dr. Hemingway called a council at once , and all who knew anything of the missing boy reported . I could give what had been told to Aunt Candace and myself only in a general way , in order to shield Tell Mapleson . Cam had seen O'mie only a minute , just before midnight . `` He went racin ' out draggin ' somethin' after him , an ' jumped over the porch railin ' here , '' pointing to the north , `` stid o ' goin ' down the steps . O'mie 's double-geared lightin ' for quickness anyhow , but last night he jist made lightnin ' seem slow the way he got off the reservation an ' into the street . It roused me up .