midnight
The storm was raging , the thick snow blowing in gusts . Riley stood silent , apparently deep in a reverie , during a minute or more , then he looked up and said : `` Have you ever heard about that man who put up at Gadsby 's , once ? ... But I see you have n't . '' He backed Mr. Lykins against an iron fence , buttonholed him , fastened him with his eye , like the Ancient Mariner , and proceeded to unfold his narrative as placidly and peacefully as if we were all stretched comfortably in a blossomy summer meadow instead of being persecuted by a wintry midnight tempest : `` I will tell you about that man . It was in Jackson 's time . Gadsby 's was the principal hotel , then . Well , this man arrived from Tennessee about nine o'clock , one morning , with a black coachman and a splendid four-horse carriage and an elegant dog , which he was evidently fond of and proud of ; he drove up before Gadsby 's , and the clerk and the landlord and everybody rushed out to take charge of him , but he said , ` Never mind , ' and jumped out and told the coachman to wait -- said he had n't time to take anything to eat , he only had a little claim against the government to collect , would run across the way , to the Treasury , and fetch the money , and then get right along back to Tennessee , for he was in considerable of a hurry .