noon
`` But it wo n't smoke him out , '' he said . `` That skunk lives in a deep hole . '' `` If I ca n't smoke him out , I 'll blast him out , '' declared Banneker , and set himself to the composition of an editorial which consumed the remainder of the working day . With a typed copy in his pocket , he called , a little before noon , at the office of The Searchlight and sent in his card to Major Bussey . The Major was not in . When was he expected ? As for that , there was no telling ; he was quite irregular .