half past nine o'clock
Tall , lean , bronzed , his face haggard and strained with anxiety , his eyes blood-shot through loss of sleep , his figure expressing in every line and movement deadly weariness and aching muscles , he strode forward into the hotel lobby , his spurs clinking on the white tile floor . Greenfield recognized Abe Lee and grasped the situation instantly . The president of The King 's Basin Land and Irrigation Company knew why the surveyor had come to San Felipe and he knew what he would carry back . If the money to pay the strikers reached its destination , Jefferson Worth would win ; if not -- At half past nine o'clock that evening the thoughtful Manager of The King 's Basin Land and Irrigation Company received a cipher message from his superior that drew a long , low whistle from his lips . For almost an hour he considered with an occasional quiet curse . Then , because he was a good Company man , he put on his hat and strolled leisurely down the street of Kingston , apparently enjoying his evening cigar . Once he stopped to greet a belated rancher .