noon
`` Well , you wo n't be going if it stays so stormy , will you ? '' asked his mother . `` No , but it 's going to clear up , mother ; this is just a little summer shower -- we were n't counting on starting until after dinner , though , anyway , '' replied Willis . Toward noon the clouds broke and melted away as if by magic . Their lifting was like the raising of some majestic curtain on a wonderful stage . The moisture from the recent storm still glistened on every twig and leaf , and the fresh-bathed air was as clear as crystal . The summit of Pike 's Peak was decked in a new covering of snow which sparkled like beautiful gems .