noon
I ca n't have that kind of man on our pay-roll . '' Weston stood silent for a moment or two . He had arrived at the wooden hotel too late for supper the previous evening , and , as a rule , neither blandishments nor money will secure the stranger a meal at an establishment of that kind after the appointed hour . As the result , he had eaten nothing since noon , when the sawmill hands had offered him a share of their dinner ; and , having assisted Grenfell along an infamous trail most of the night , he was jaded and very hungry . Now work and food were offered him , and there was not a settlement within several leagues of the spot . He had , however , already decided that he could not cast his comrade adrift . `` Well , '' he said , `` perhaps there 's a way out of it .