ten o'clock
Above all , its head over the mountains pointing toward the house , its tail extending north of the bigger stream , was a comet -- the `` totem '' or sign of the Ogallalla lover of Lizette . The story was told at a glance . Burning Star was already south of the Platte and lurking in the mountains near Folsom 's ranch . That night , toward ten o'clock , an anxious council was held . Halbert Folsom , fevered by his severe wound , was lying half-unconscious on his bed , his unhappy wife wandering aimlessly about at times , wringing her hands and weeping , evidently unbalanced by the terrors that had beset her of late and the tidings of that awful Indian revenge along the Big Horn . Silent , helpful , almost commanding , Elinor spent the hours sometimes at her brother 's bedside , then at that of her sister-in-law when the poor creature could be induced to lie still a moment . The burly little son and heir , long since sound asleep in his cradle , was watched over by Jessie , whose heart fluttered in dread she dare not say of what .