midnight
But after they had left the young women , neither of them cared to sleep yet . They were still in costume , Mac dressed as a monk , and his friend as a Stuart cavalier , and the spirit of frolic was yet strong in them . `` I expaict , mebbe , we better hunt in couples if we 're going to help paint the town , '' smiled Mac , and his friend had immediately agreed . It must have been well after midnight that they found themselves `` bucking the tiger '' in a combination saloon and gambling-house , whose patrons were decidedly cosmopolitan in character . Here white and red and yellow men played side by side , the Orient and the Occident and the aboriginal alike intent on the falling cards and the little rolling ball . A good many of them were still in their masks and dominos , though these , for the most part , removed their vizors before playing . Neither McWilliams nor his friend were betting high , and the luck had been so even that at the end of two hours ' play neither of them had at any time either won or lost more than fifteen dollars .