noon
`` Halloo , Franco , '' said Rollo , `` are you here still ? '' They had been so busy at work , they had taken no notice of him . But Franco had watched their operations , and now went running on in the path before the boys , wagging his tail , as if he had as much pleasure as they , in contemplating the result of their morning 's labor . When Jonas came home to dinner , at noon , the boys were impatient to tell him what they had done . But Jonas was too much engaged in some work about the new barn to listen to their story then . He told them , however , that he would go down about sunset , and look at their work , and hear the account , in the evening , of the experiment in doing work like workmen . After dinner , Oliver was excused from many of his regular duties , on account of the visit of Rollo and Nathan ; and the three boys hastened to return to their fort .