noon
An ' mebbe , they 'll be some kind of a collidge whar I 'm goin ' , at I kin get a try at yet -- do n't you fret , little pard -- ef I git my chancet I 'll take it fer your sake ! '' The life breath seemed to be spent with the effort and Buck sank slowly into unconsciousness and so passed out of a life that had been all against him . Michael after doing all the last little things that were permitted him , sadly took his way home again . He reached the city in the morning and spent several hours putting to rights his business affairs ; but by noon he found himself so unutterably weary that he took the two o'clock train down to the farm . Sam met him at the station . Sam somehow seemed to have an intuition when to meet him , and the two gripped hands and walked home together across the salt grass , Michael telling in low , halting tones all that Buck had said . Sam kept his face turned the other way , but once Michael got a view of it and he was sure there were tears on his cheeks .