five minutes to five
An early car clanged toward him , but he waited in a dark spot until it had passed and then hurried on . He passed an all-night taxi stand in front of a hotel , but he did not disturb the sleepy drivers . So by walking every step of the way , he believed that he had reached the depot unnoticed , just when daylight was upon him with gray wreaths of fog . By the depot clock it was five minutes to five . A train was being called , and the sing-song chant informed him that it was bound for `` Sa-anta Bar-bra -- Sa-an Louis Oh bispo -- Sa-linas -- Sa-an ` Osay -- Sa-an Fransisco , and a-a-ll points north ! '' Jack , with his rubber boots flapping on his back , took a run and a slide to the ticket window and bought a ticket for San Francisco , thinking rather feverishly of the various points north . In the chair car , where he plumped himself into a seat just as the train began to creep forward , Jack pulled his hat down over his eyebrows and wondered if any one had recognized him while he was getting on the train .