midnight
She would have loved to go on -- to pass her examinations for college preparation , and finally get her diploma and an A. B. , at least , from some college . That , however , was not to be . Old Captain Rugley lavished money on her like rain , when she would let him . She used some of the money to buy books and a piano and pay for a teacher for the latter to come to the ranch , while she spent much midnight oil studying the books by herself . Captain Rugley 's health was not all it should have been . Frances could not now leave him for long . Until recently the old ranchman had borne lightly his seventy years .