noon
Keineth -- her eyes turned upward , suddenly felt a rush of loneliness for her father . A little prayer formed on her lips to the flag she was honoring . `` Please take care of him wherever he is ! '' At noon , in Genevieve , they started merrily off for Grandma Sparks ! In her mind Keineth had drawn a picture of a stately Colonial house , with great pillars , such as she had sometimes seen while driving with Aunt Josephine . Great was her surprise when Billy turned into a grass-grown driveway which led past a broken-down gate and stopped at the door of a weather-gray house ; its walls almost concealed by the vines growing from ground to gable and even rambling over the patched roof . At the door of the house stood a noble apple tree , spreading its branches in loving protection over the old stone steps which led to the threshold .