nine in the evening
Paul Kramer 's was a place most beloved among the boys of Scranton , for the small store held almost everything that was apt to appeal to the heart of the average youth . Besides , all baseball , and in due season , football paraphernalia , as well as hockey sticks , and shin guards , the old storekeeper always carried a well-chosen stock of juvenile fiction in cloth ; and those fellows who were fond of spending their spare hours in reading the works of old favorites like Optic and Alger , as well as numerous more recent additions to the ranks of authors , were to be found poring over the contents of numerous book shelves and racks , deciding which volume they would squander their latest quarter for . Then at Kramer 's `` Emporium '' there was always a huge stock of the latest music in cheap form ; and the girls had also contracted a habit of dropping in to look this over , with an eye to adding to their lists . So that from early morning until nine in the evening , on ordinary occasions , if a boy could not be found anywhere else it was `` dollars to doughnuts , '' as Thad always said , that he was rummaging at Paul Kramer 's , and lost to all the world for the time being . Eagerly , then , did Thad throw down a nickel , and snatch up the first copy of that week 's issue sold that morning . It was virtually `` fresh from the press '' ; indeed , the odor of printers ' ink could easily be detected in the sheet . There was no difficulty about finding the article they were most deeply interested in .