midnight
That his resolution had once been broken was not his fault , for they had dragged him over the Oakwood bridge at the end of a stout rope ; but this only made him firmer in his determination , and people who drove him were wont to stay on the west side of the river . Old man Barnes had given the Senator no hint of this prejudice of the aristocratic animal he was driving , so he had no foreboding of what was going to happen . Now that he had made up his mind that it was worse than useless to try to interfere with the General , he was jogging along in comparative comfort , regardless of the rain which had grown from a fine drizzle to a steady downpour . He thought the chances were in favor of his reaching Truesdale and a telephone by midnight . He smiled at the thought , for he had evolved a scheme that would disconcert both of the contestants for the M. & T. alike , and would show them that he , State Senator Sporty Jones , was not a man to be sneezed at . About a half a mile above the Oakwood Club House and in full view of it the road crosses the river , and the Senator noticed the big , rambling building on top of the hill , and wondered if they had a telephone there . `` I 'll try and see , anyway , '' he thought .