noon
When he went to his wife 's people , he found that all had something to add to his Santa Claus pack , for Mary as well as for the little one ; and he hugged himself with elation at the thought of what a Christmas there was going to be in the lonely wilderness cabin . He had bought two or three things for his wife ; and when he shouldered his pack , slinging it high and strapping it close that it might not flop with his rapid stride , he found the burden no light one . But the lightness of his heart made compensation . That night he took but two hours ' sleep in the old lumber camp , aiming to reach home soon after noon . In the morning , however , things began to go wrong . First the pack , as packs sometimes will for no visible reason , developed a kink that galled his shoulders obstinately . Again and again he paused and tried to readjust it .