noon
We had to burn wood ; the nearest bluff where it could be cut was several miles away ; and Dick did n't keep a hired man through the winter . It was often very cold , and I got frightened when he drove off if there was any wind . It was trying to wait in the quiet house , wondering if he could stand the exposure . Then one day something kept him so that he could n't start for the bluff until noon ; and near dusk the wind got up and the snow began to fall . It got thicker , and I could not sit still . I went out now and then and called , and was driven back , almost frozen , by the storm . I could scarcely see the lights a few yards away ; the house shook .