six o'clock
You must do something , oh , something , to help ! '' Then he made an attempt to stand , to get on the animal 's back , but his poor foot gave out , and he huddled down to the ground again in pitiful , hopeless pain . The horse 's nose touched his ear , starting him from a fast oncoming stupor . At the same instant the six o'clock whistle blew at the mill across the frozen river . In a few moments the men would be coming home , crossing the ice , perhaps to their death instead of to the warm supper awaiting them at their shanty homes . The thought of it all gripped Jacky 's young heart with fear , but he was powerless to warn them . He could not take a single step , and he was rapidly becoming paralyzed with cold and pain .