six o'clock
the girl said audaciously , then fled into the house and slammed the door . All day at the shops Joe worked as in a trance . Every iron rivet that he drove into a wooden hoop was duly informed of the romantic occurrence of the morning , and as some four thousand rivets are fastened into four thousand hoops in the course of one day , it will be seen that the matter was duly considered . The stray spark from a feminine eye had kindled such a fierce fire in his heart that by the time the six o'clock whistle blew the conflagration threw a rosy glow over the entire landscape . As he rode home , the girl was sitting on the steps , but she would not look at him . Joe had formulated a definite course of action , and though the utter boldness of it nearly cost him his balance , he adhered to it strictly . When just opposite her gate , without turning his head or his eyes , he lifted his hat , then rode at a furious pace around the corner .