nearly one o'clock
He knew that this was the letter which meant the most to her . He saw how those letters affected her , and thought he had divined in what way . One day when Flaxen , after reading her letters , sprang up and ran into her bedroom ; her eyes filled with sudden tears , Gearheart crooked his finger at Ans , and they went out to the barn together . It was nearly one o'clock on an intolerable day peculiar to the Dakota plain . A frightfully hot , withering , and powerful wind was abroad . The thermometer stood nearly a hundred in the shade , and the wind , so far from being a relief , was suffocating because of its heat and the dust it swept along with it . The heavy-headed grain and russet grass writhed and swirled as if in agony , and dashed high in waves of green and yellow .