twenty-five minutes past midnight
The tiny creature seemed to be paralyzed by the glare and they almost ran it down before it tore away in sudden fright and its cotton-white tuft vanished in the long grass . But as the novelty of all this wore off , her mind reverted to the thing that she was trying to do . The speeding engine , the flying track , became merely the accessories which were carrying her nearer and nearer her goal -- a telegraph operator . The fireman 's watch hung on a hook alongside and the hands showed twenty-five minutes past midnight . It was standard time both here and in Toronto ; so that would be the time at the _ Recorder _ office also -- 12.25 a.m. . They would be well into the rush of the night 's work by now . The boys would be in from assignments and pounding out `` copy '' in the city room .