noon
Silas Sykes , he 'd took in Foolish Henzie an ' another old man for his . An ' Eppleby Holcomb , in his frenzy he 'd took in _ five _ , an ' Mame was near a lunatic with havin ' 'em to do for . An ' all three men bein ' at the head o ' the burned buildin ' , they danced ` round lively makin ' provision , an ' they sent telegrams , wild an ' reckless , without countin ' the words . An ' before noon it was settled ' t the poorhouse in Alice County , nearest us , should take in the inmates temporary . We was eatin ' dinner when Timothy an ' Silas come in to tell Elspie . I wished Eppleby had come to tell her . Eppleby does everything like he was company , an ' not like he owned it .