midnight
He shrank from the force of his imagination . He was glad Sally had the revolver . He glanced at his watch , half believing that the clock had stopped . There at last it was , both hands pointing straight up -- midnight ! And Tolliver heard only the storm and the unbearable strokes of the telegraph sounder . It was fairly definite now . Both trains were roaring through the storm , destined almost certainly to slip by each other at this siding within the next hour .