One o'clock
When he walks away they string out after him , talking all the time ; and he leads 'em down the main street of Bird City with more men joining the procession as they go . It reminded me of the old legerdemain that I 'd read in books about the Pied Piper of Heidsieck charming the children away from the town . -LSB- Illustration : `` And he leads 'em down the main street of Bird City . '' -RSB- `` One o'clock came ; and then two ; and three got under the wire for place ; and not a Bird citizen came in for a drink . The streets were deserted except for some ducks and ladies going to the stores . There was only a light drizzle falling then . `` A lonesome man came along and stopped in front of the Blue Snake to scrape the mud off his boots . ''