noon
He was conscious of a strong admiration for this fair brown-faced Anglo-Saxon who faced death so lightly for one of his men . Whatever else he might prove to be , Richard Gordon was a man . The New Mexican had an uneasy prescience that his mission was foredoomed to failure and that it might start currents destined to affect potently the lives of many in the Rio Chama Valley . The clock in the depot tower registered just twelve , and the noon whistles were blowing when Pesquiera knocked at apartment 14 , of the Gold Nugget Rooming-House . In answer to an invitation to `` Come in , '' he entered an apartment which seemed to be a combination office and living-room . A door opened into what the New Mexican assumed to be a sleeping chamber , adjoining which was evidently a bath , judging from the sound of splashing water . `` With you in a minute , '' a voice from within assured the guest .