noon
Then lowering his voice to a whisper he added : `` The old dog 's sot on gittin ' an early start ; he 's mighty pertickler ` bout it . The old feller 's been up ` long ` fore daylight . He told me he never seen no nicer mornin ' for a hunt . If we do n't git a deer ` fore noon you kin have all that 's on my plate . '' There was a confident gleam in the old man 's eyes -- an enthusiasm that was contagious . The gray head of the millionaire went into the tin basin with a will . Big Shanty Brook , that morning , was as cold as ice .