midnight
Mrs. Macy says she soon found she could n't do nothin ' to stem the tide except to drink tea 'n' listen , so she drank an ' listened till Hiram come home about eleven . Oh , my , but she says they had _ the _ time then ! Gran ` ma Mullins let him in herself , 'n' just as soon as he was in she bu ` st into floods of tears 'n' would n't let him loose under no consideration . She says Hiram managed to get his back to the wall for a brace 'cause Gran ` ma Mullins nigh to upset him every fresh time as Lucy come over her , 'n' Mrs. Macy says she could n't but wonder what the end was goin ' to be when , toward midnight , Hiram just lost patience 'n' dodged out under her arm 'n' ran up the ladder to the roof-room 'n' they could n't get him to come down again . She says when Gran ` ma Mullins realized as he would n't come down she most went mad over the notion of her only son 's spendin ' the Christmas Eve to his own weddin ' sleepin ' on the floor o ' the attic 'n' she wanted to poke the cot up to him , but Mrs. Macy says she drew the line at cot-pokin ' when the cot was all she 'd have to sleep on herself , 'n' in the end they poked quilts up , 'n' pillows , 'n' doughnuts 'n' cider 'n' blankets , 'n' Hiram made a very good bed on the floor 'n' they all got to sleep about three o'clock . `` Well , Mrs. Lathrop , what do you think ? What _ do _ you think ?