about noon
The sun rolled up and the Elephant changed from bronze to gold . Jim sighed and went up to his house . All that day crowds of workmen on the banks watched Old Jezebel romp over their working place and they swore large and vivid oaths regarding what they would do to her once they got to balking her again . It was about noon that a buckboard drawn by two good horses stopped at the foot of the cable tower . The driver called to Iron Skull Williams , who was chewing a toothpick and chatting to Pen . Williams led Pen up to the buckboard . `` Like to introduce Oscar Ames , one of our old-time irrigation farmers , '' said Iron Skull .