one o'clock
Having finished , Dennis gave him a nod , and said , `` Wait till dinner-time . '' `` Ah ! dere vill be von famine , '' said the German , in a tone of anguish , wringing his hands . Having procured the needful implement , Dennis started out , and , though there was considerable competition , found plenty to do , and shovelled away with little cessation till one o'clock . Then , counting his gains , he found that he had paid for his shovel , secured breakfast and dinner , and had a balance on hand of two dollars and fifty cents , and he had nearly half a day yet before him . He felt rich -- nay , more than that , he felt like a man who , sinking in a shoreless ocean , suddenly catches a plank that bears him up until land appears in the distance . `` This is what comes of asking God to help a fellow , '' said he to himself .