When Ronnie reached the office at eight o’clock, Bill was waiting for him. Bill had brought a kerosene lantern and it was already burning when Ronnie entered the door. Outside, the late evening shadows were deepening among the trees, and the peepers were piping down in the marshes along the river.
“Pa gave me a piece of plywood for our sign,” Bill announced, “and I brought some paint and brushes.”
They sat down at their improvised desk and composed the words they would letter on the sign:
Original Buildings and Furnaces
of One of America’s Renowned Glassworks
from the Last Century
Including a Haunted Building with a Strange History
Complete Tour: Adults—50¢ Children—25¢
“That ought to get their curiosity roused up!” Bill exclaimed when they had finished. “Now let’s get it laid out on the plywood.”
The time passed quickly for the two. Outside, the night closed in among the old buildings and the silent trees.
“Now that looks right nice!” Bill said at last standing back to survey the sign. “Looks almost like a real sign painter made it. Tomorrow, first thing, we’ll get it up on the road.”
Ronnie glanced at his wrist watch. “I’d best be getting on home. Nothing much more we can do tonight anyway.”
They picked up their flashlights, and then Bill blew out the lantern. The two stepped out into the night. The beams from the flashlights cut a solid lane down the path as they made their way toward the cobblestone road. Bill was in the lead. Suddenly he stopped and pointed off into the trees. “Look!” he whispered.