half past four before
But here he was waylaid by Beauty , -- Beauty opulent in charms , affluent in dress , persuasive in speech , and Spanish in accent ! In vain she repeated the invitation in `` Excelsior , '' happily scorned by all Alpine-climbing youth , and rejected by this child of the Sierras , -- a rejection softened in this instance by a laugh and his last gold coin . And then he sprang to the saddle and dashed down the lonely street and out into the lonelier plain , where presently the lights , the black line of houses , the spires , and the flagstaff sank into the earth behind him again and were lost in the distance . The storm had cleared away , the air was brisk and cold , the outlines of adjacent landmarks were distinct , but it was half past four before Dick reached the meeting-house and the crossing of the county road . To avoid the rising grade he had taken a longer and more circuitous road , in whose viscid mud Jovita sank fetlock deep at every bound . It was a poor preparation for a steady ascent of five miles more ; but Jovita , gathering her legs under her , took it with her usual blind , unreasoning fury , and a half-hour later reached the long level that led to Rattlesnake Creek . Another half-hour would bring him to the creek .