midnight
`` You have your rough corners in big cities , and I expect there are mighty few parts of any country that do n't have their tough neighborhoods , only Six-Cross-Roads happens to be worse than most . They choose to call themselves ` White-Caps , ' but I guess it 's just a name they like to give themselves . Usually White-Caps are a vigilance committee going after rascalities the law does n't reach , or wo n't reach , but these fellows are not that kind . They got together to wipe out their grudges -- and sometimes they did n't need any grudge and let loose their deviltries just for pure orneriness ; setting haystacks afire and such like ; or , where a farmer had offended them , they would put on their silly toggery and take him out at midnight and whip him and plunder his house and chase the horses and cattle into his corn , maybe . They say the women went with them on their raids . '' `` And he was the first to try to stop them ? '' `` Well , you see our folks are pretty long-suffering , '' Briscoe replied , apologetically .