about three o'clock
Mary Carey was too shy -- because she loved him , and secretly and fondly hoped and doubted that he cared for her -- to be seen dancing more than once with Harry Dale , so he shared Bertha Buckolt , the best girl dancer there , with Jim Carey , who danced with his sister when Harry was dancing with Bertha Buckolt , and who seemed , for some reason best known to himself , to be perfectly satisfied with the arrangement . Poor little Mary began to fret presently , and feel a little jealous of Bertha , her old schoolmate . She was little and could n't dance like Bertha , and she could n't help noticing how well Bertha looked to-night , and what a well-matched pair she and Harry made ; and so , when twelve o'clock came and they all went outside to watch the Old Year out and the New Year in -- with a big bonfire on the distant ridge where the grass fires had reached a stretch of dry scrub -- and to join hands all round and sing `` Auld Lang Syne , '' little Mary was not to be found , for she was sitting on a log round behind the cow-yard , crying softly to herself . And when about three o'clock they all started home , Mary gave Bertha her cheek to kiss instead of her mouth , and that hurt Bertha , who had _ her _ cry riding home , to the astonishment and irritation of her brother Jack , who rode home with her . But when they were all gone Mary was missing again and when her mother called her , and , after a pause , the voice of Harry Dale said , respectfully , in the darkness , `` She 's here , Mrs Carey , she 's all right , '' the two were discovered sitting on a convenient log of the wood-heap , with an awkward and overacted interval of log between them . Old Carey liked Harry Dale , and seemed very well satisfied with the way things appeared to be going . He pressed Harry to stay at the selection overnight .