midnight
The father of one , hale and strong when they started , died of pneumonia in the public lodging-house . The walls of that house could tell many tales to wring the heart . So could Mr. Brinsmade , did he choose to speak of his own charities . He found time , between his labors at the big hospital newly founded , and his correspondence , and his journeys of love , -- between early morning and midnight , -- to give some hours a day to the refugees . Throughout December they poured in on the afflicted city , already overtaxed . All the way to Springfield the road was lined with remains of articles once dear -- a child 's doll , a little rocking-chair , a colored print that has hung in the best room , a Bible text . Anne Brinsmade , driven by Nicodemus , went from house to house to solicit old clothes , and take them to the crowded place of detention .