About nine o’clock
He must reach the city at all hazards , homesick or not . Archie did not think of breakfast this morning . His experience of the night before seemed to have taken away his appetite entirely , and his only thought was to walk as fast as possible , so that he could reach the city soon . About nine o'clock he entered the outskirts of a busy town , and while there he observed that the railroad going to the city passed through the place . All at once a new idea occurred to him . He had so often heard men and boys tell of how they had stolen a ride from one town to another . Why should n't he be able to get a ride on a freight train to the city .