noon
But Jim Ferris told him he had his orders from Williamson , and he was n't goin ' to be held up by nobody until Williamson told him to stop . Jim is n't any kind of fool . '' When they arrived in front of Willow Bluff , they stopped , dismounted , and dumped the crushed stone , and then returned to the stone yard . At noon they camped out on the curb in front of Willow Bluff . After Maxwell had done full justice to the contents of his dinner pail , he stretched himself full length on the grass for a few moments , chatting with his mates in friendly fashion . Then he went over to the roller and assisted the engineer in `` oiling up . '' Being a novice at the business , he managed to get his hands black with oil , and smeared a streak across one cheek , which , while it helped to obscure his identity , did not add to his facial beauty .