midnight
Travelers , who become accustomed to seeing all sorts of people , are not often suspicious . The villain was more successful than he could have hoped . Within a few hours he would be in New York , and then he felt that he could bid defiance to pursuit . It was now past midnight . The man from Chicago felt a deep drowsiness stealing over him . He wished to shake it off , and so , rising and seeing only people in an unconscious state about him , he concluded to go into the smoking-car and enjoy a cigar . He began to feel nervous , and such a stimulant seemed absolutely necessary .