noon
A very quiet , unobtrusive guest Mrs. Brandt found the man Brice ; talking little save in a sudden gush of confidence , and always of his wife and child ; choosing a quiet corner of the kitchen in the chill California nights , where he watched his hostess 's deft movements with wistful admiration . `` Try huntin ' , Brice ; the doctors mostly say it 's healthy . '' And Brice tried hunting , as Joel advised , taking the gun from its crotch over the door after breakfast , and wandering for hours in the yellow , wine-like air of the mesa . He came in at noon and nightfall always empty-handed , yet no one derided his failure . There was something about the man that smothered derision . `` A sort o ' thunderin ' patience that knocks a fellow , '' Bert Fox put it . Mrs. Brandt had always an encouraging word for the hunter .