two o'clock
The joyfulness of the old man was contagious . His happiness flowed over as waters flow over the rim of a fountain . Wild Bill laughed as he seized his axe , the woman rose from the table smiling , the girls giggled , the little boy stamped , and the hounds , catching the spirit of their merry master , swung their tails round , and bayed in canine gladness ; and amid the joyful uproar the Old Trapper spun himself out of the door , and chased Wild Bill through the snow like a boy . The dinner was to be served at two o'clock ; and what a dinner it was , and what preparations preceded ! The snow had been shoveled from around the cabin , the holes in the roof roughly but effectually thatched . A good pile of wood was stacked in front of the doorway . The spring that bubbled from the bank had been cleared of ice , and a protection constructed over it .