three o'clock in the afternoon
He arose , somewhat stiff , and put the shining clod in his coat-tail pocket . On his way back to the road he noticed other little earth lumps that shone . He resumed his walk townward , his knees shaking regularly at every step , as was their wont . At three o'clock in the afternoon he had reached home , sold his cherries , and dined on dried beef and bread in his little unpainted wooden house on the edge of the creek at the back of the town . He owned his house and a small lot upon which it stood . Near it was a flour-mill , whose owner held a mortgage upon Pop 's house and lot . The old negro had been compelled to borrow $ 200 to pay bills incurred during the illness and subsequent funeral of the late Mrs. Thornberry , and thus to avoid a sheriff 's sale .