midnight
Town people , fearing a crush , hastened to leave home with the lunch dishes unwashed , and look for places to sit during the long afternoon . Along the roads every type of car , wagon , carriage , and other styles of equipages began to be seen , all heading toward the center of interest , which was the town of Scranton . Hundreds came from Allandale ; indeed , it might be safe to even say thousands , for in every direction could be seen the colors of Allandale High , just as though each enthusiastic boy and girl had rounded up all their relatives and friends , and induced them to make it a point to travel to the neighboring borough , there to shout and shriek , and in other ways lend encouragement to each Allandale aspirant for athletic honors wherever they showed up . Belleville , too , must look very much like the `` Deserted Village '' on this particular afternoon ; and , if the amount of business done depended on the few who had remained at home , her merchants would have to stay up until midnight in order to equal their customary Saturday sales . At half-past twelve the throng had become so dense that Chief Wambold and his men were compelled to enlist the services of a number of willing volunteers who , temporarily decorated with a silver shield , were vested with the authority of regular officers , in order to keep avenues open , and prevent the throng from breaking through the ropes upon the limited field where the athletes expected to compete . So far as attendance was concerned there was no longer the least doubt but that the meet would prove an abounding success ; the rest remained to be proven . But the gathering athletes who began to appear in little knots , coming from the dressing rooms of the building , seemed full of confidence , and answered the loud salutes of a myriad of friends in the crowd with reassuring nods , and gestures calculated to buoy up their hopes .