one
o'clock
The two trains to be met were found snugly withdrawn on the sidings at Mavero and Agriculta , and the station semaphores beckoned the flying special past at full speed . Kent checked off the dodging mile-posts : the pace was bettering the fastest run ever made on the Prairie Division -- which was saying a good deal . But at Juniberg , twenty-seven miles out of Gaston , there was a delay . Train Number 17 , the east-bound time freight , had left Juniberg at one o'clock , having ample time to make Lesterville , the next station east , before the light engine could possibly overtake it . But Lesterville had not yet reported its arrival ; for which cause the agent at Juniberg was constrained to put out his stop signal , and Kent 's special came to a stand at the platform . Under the circumstances , there appeared to be nothing for it but to wait until the delayed Number 17 was heard from ; and Kent 's first care was to report to Loring , and to ask if there were anything from Boston . The reply was encouraging .