about one o'clock in the
morning
At countless firesides in our state he was known as the spokesman of the plain man , who was blissfully ignorant of the fact that Mr. Truesdale was owned body and carcass by Mr. Cyrus Ridden , the principal manufacturer of St. Helen 's and a director in several subsidiary lines of the Railroad . In the legislature , the Hon. Fitch 's function was that of the moderate counsellor and bellwether for new members , hence nothing could have been more fitting than the choice of that gentleman for the honour of moving , on the morrow , that Bill No. 709 ought to pass . Mr. Truesdale reluctantly consented to accept a small `` loan '' that would help to pay the mortgage on his new press ... . When the last of the gathering had departed , about one o'clock in the morning , I had added considerably to my experience , gained a pretty accurate idea of who was who in the legislature and politics of the state , and established relationships -- as the Colonel reminded me -- likely to prove valuable in the future . It seemed only gracious to congratulate him on his management of the affair , -- so far . He appeared pleased , and squeezed my hand . `` Well , sir , it did require a little delicacy of touch .