nine o'clock
Bill , driving the little car which he had named the Swallow , reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust . The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings , driving in through every crack and crevice . All the rest of the afternoon it blew , and at six o'clock , when the Major came in , he was coated with the fine yellow dust . By nine o'clock , when Bill went to bed , a small gale was singing around , and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind . It shrieked and howled , and the quarters rattled and quivered . Bill remembered the Swallow and his dad 's car , both standing at the back door . He rose and went to his mother 's room .