one o'clock in the afternoon
He bent his head to the blast , and buttoned his overcoat more closely about him , as he fought his way through the drifts . It had been snowing since early morning , and there were no signs to indicate that the storm was going to stop . It was growing colder , too , and the wind seemed to increase in violence each hour . Though it was only a little after one o'clock in the afternoon , it was unusually dark , and Joe realized that night would soon be at hand , hastened by the clouds overhead . `` But the snow will make it light enough to see , I guess , '' reasoned Joe . `` I hope I can keep to the road . It would n't be much of a joke to get Reggie and Mabel out of the train , into the comfortable sled , and then lose them on the way home . ''