nine P.M. precisely
she said , laying her little round hand in the big , strong , horny palm that had held the life-line the night of the wreck . The song-sparrow clung to the swaying top of a mullein-stalk near by , and poured out a strong , swelling , joyous song that well-nigh split its throat . When Tom called Jennie , half an hour later , she and Carl were still talking across the fence . About this time the labor element in the village and vicinity was startled by an advertisement in the Rockville `` Daily News , '' signed by the clerk of the Board of Village Trustees , notifying contractors that thirty days thereafter , closing at nine P.M. precisely , separate sealed proposals would be received at the meeting-room of the board , over the post-office , for the hauling of twenty thousand cubic yards of fine crushed stone for use on the public highways ; bidders would be obliged to give suitable bonds , etc. ; certified check for five hundred dollars to accompany each bid as guaranty , etc. . The news was a grateful surprise to the workingmen . The hauling and placing of so large an amount of material as soon as spring opened meant plenty of work for many shovelers and pickers . The local politicians , of course , had known all about it for weeks ; especially those who owned property fronting on the streets to be improved : they had helped the appropriation through the finance committee .