noon
But on winter evenings , as he sat before the big fire in the Long Tom ranch house , his big snow camp , Ted Strong often turned over in his mind the facts about the death of Silver Face , the man of mystery . Somehow , away down in his heart , he did not believe that the man with the silver mask was dead , but that he would some day meet him again and solve the mystery that surrounded him . In the early part of December , however , the members of the Moon Valley outfit left the Long Tom Ranch for Phoenix , Arizona . Although it was winter , the air was soft and pleasant , and at noon the sun shone with some fervor . It was Arizona , and as Ted Strong sat on Sultan and gazed across the wide valley , over which the sun 's warm rays shimmered above the sand and cactus , greasewood and sage toward a low-lying ranch house in the far distance , it did not seem at all like Christmas . But it was Christmas Eve , in spite of the fact that there was no snow , no sleigh bells , no apparent use for Santa Claus , and that roses were blooming in yards where there was sufficient black earth for them to thrive . Behind his saddle Ted had a great bundle wrapped in burlap and securely tied .