midnight
It was the day before the contest . He 'd served only two days , but instead of rushing right off to rehearse his oration , which he could n't do in the workhouse , owing to an accountable prejudice the tramps and other prisoners had against oratory , he took the evening off and went driving with Martha Scroggs -- about as queer a thing for him to do as it would be for the Pope to take a young lady to the theatre . But we did n't ask any questions . We cheered him off on the midnight train , and the next night , when he won and we got the news , we turned out and built a bonfire of everything that was n't nailed down . And when the police got done chasing us they had nineteen of the brightest and best sons of Siwash bottled up in the booby hatch . We did n't mind that on general principles . The bonfire was worth it , especially since we managed to get a few palings from old Scroggs ' fence for it -- but , as usual , the wrong men got pinched .