Monday noon
It was Saturday afternoon and the men were idle , a weekly occurrence the Colonel had learned to dread since his incumbency as deputy sheriff and , in consequence of his office , felt responsible for the peace of the community at large until Monday morning . Something unusual was in the air , and the three men were at once aware of it . The uneasiness , that had prevailed in the sheds and at The Gore during the past month , was evidently coming to a crisis now that the men 's pay was two weeks overdue . Emlie looked grave on replying , after a pause in which the three were busy taking note of the constantly increasing crowd in front of the town hall : `` I do n't blame you , Colonel ; there 'll be the deuce to pay if the men do n't get paid off by Monday noon . They 've been uneasy now so long about the piece work settlement , that this last delay is going to be the match that fires the train -- and no slow match either from the looks ; I do n't understand this delay . When did Romanzo send his last message ? '' `` About an hour ago , but he has n't had any answer yet , '' replied the Colonel , shading his eyes with his hat to look up street at the town hall crowd .