noon
If you ever do I do n't want to live . '' For a single moment Barney held the boy in his arms , patting his shoulder gently , then , pushing him back , said impatiently , `` Well , I am a blamed old fool , anyway . What in the diggins is the matter with me , I do n't know . I guess I want supper , nothing to eat since noon . But all the same , Dick , '' he added in a steady , matter-of-fact tone , `` we must expect many changes from this out , but we 'll stand by each other till the world cracks . '' After Dick had gone upstairs with his father , Barney and his mother sat together talking over the doings of the day after their invariable custom . `` He is looking thin , I am thinking , '' said the mother .