midnight
He turned the horses and drove off . From Westmoreland Travis drove straight toward the town . The trotters , keen and full of play , flew along , tossing their queenly heads in the very exuberance of life . At The Gaffs , he drew rein : `` Now , Jim , I 'll be back at midnight . You sleep light until I come in , and have their bedding dry and blankets ready . '' He tossed the boy a dollar as he drove off . Up the road toward the town he drove , finally slackening his trotters ' speed as he came into the more thickly settled part of the outskirts .