noon
That was why the golden leaves were showering in a mist , and why the sun was so warm . Eric dropped his ragged coat and cap on the edge of the wood , -- it was so warm , -- and went in . A little girl had been watching him from her place at one of the factory windows where she was sorting cans . She had seen him before , working at the factory , day after day , and they had played together sometimes in the noon half hour . Now she wondered what he was doing out there . Had they sent him , perhaps , to do a different kind of work that could only be done in the woods ? But as he walked away in under the trees farther and farther , the golden mist that was over the wood drew in about him ; and although she leaned far forward over the cans at a great risk of knocking over dozens and setting them rolling , -- he was lost in it .