noon
The harness maker looked out through the open door of his shop and saw Tom Butterworth and Steve Hunter going along Main Street , engaged in earnest conversation . Steve had a cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth and Tom had on a fancy vest . He thought again of the money he had lost in the plant-setting machine venture and was furious . The noon hour was spoiled and he was almost glad when Jim came back from his mid-day meal . The position in which he found himself in the shop amused Jim Gibson . He chuckled to himself as he waited on the customers who came in , and as he worked at the bench . One day when he came back along Main Street from the noon meal , he decided to try an experiment .