three o'clock in the
morning
But how different the deacon talked in the evening devotions from what he did when the cow was galloping on him in the barnyard . Well , I got through the colic and was just getting to sleep when the deacon yelled for me to get up and hustle down stairs . I thought may be the house was on fire , 'cause I smelled smoke , and I got into my trousers and came down stairs on a jump yelling ` fire , ' when the deacon grabbed me and told me to get down on my knees , and before I knew it he was into the morning devotions , and when he said ` amen ' and jumped and said for us to fire breakfast into us quick and get to work doing chores . I looked at the clock and it was just three o'clock in the morning , just the time Pa comes home and goes to bed in town , when he is running a political campaign . Well , sir , I had to jump from one thing to another from three o'clock in the morning till nine at night , pitching hay , driving reaper , raking and binding , shocking wheat , hoeing corn , and everything , and I never got a kind word . I spoiled my clothes , and I think another week would make a pirate of me . But during it all I had the advantage of a pious example .