about four o'clock
`` Suppose now , in the issue of the _ Courier _ that is due tomorrow morning there appeared an interesting write-up about a certain Marshal Hastings who was visiting Scranton , having come all the way from Texas to find and take back a certain party who was badly wanted there for some serious offense ; the story could give little hints that would point to Brother Lu as the man , without actually saying so . Hugh , tell me , what do you think of that for a scheme ; and might it do the work , would you say ? '' Hugh jumped up from his chair and clapped a cap on his head . `` It 's now about four o'clock of a Friday afternoon , '' he remarked , `` and if we could only run across Jim Pettigrew , and he got interested in our story , why it might not be too late to get the little write-up arranged before they went to press tonight . '' Thad was all animation . `` Fine ! Let 's rush around to the _ Courier _ office and see Jim ! ''