midnight
To her right towered timberless mountains , unpeopled , unexplored , forbidding , and desolate -- their hollows inlaid with snow . On one hand were the life and the world she knew ; on the other , silence , mystery , possible adventure . The roadway where she stood was a crush of sundry vehicles from bicycles to dog-hauled water-carts , and on all sides men were laboring busily , the echo of hammers mingling with the cries of teamsters and the tinkle of music within the saloons . `` And this is midnight ! '' exclaimed Helen , breathlessly . `` Do they ever rest ? '' `` There is n't time -- this is a gold stampede .