"A good idea," I agreed, glancing at the paper Rosco had left, and at the beautiful, perfect lettering on it.
When Grant put the dry, white-painted board before me a few days later, I had a battle with my conscience. Should I take a ruler and painstakingly create my own letters, or should I cut out Rosco's letters and trace them onto the board?
The latter course seemed the most practical. Still, a stern inner voice told me, Rosco had put his time and work into that sample sign with the hope of selling us its counterpart in neon, not so that we might make use of his labor by tracing his letters and making a sign ourselves, thereby pushing ourselves still further out of the market for the neon sign he might have sold us.
I finally decided that the only honorable thing to do would be to start from scratch. Pushing his sign aside, I set laboriously to work making new letters. If I cast an occasional glance at the formation of his lettering as I worked, it was accidental.
I was intently studying the proportions of his "Y" when the office bell rang. I put aside my work guiltily and hurried to the door.
It was Miss Nesdeburt. She gave me a timid smile.
"My cabin is just lovely," she said, her tiny white hands fluttering up to her glasses. She took them off, as though she could see me better without a barrier of glass between us; "it's really lovely," she continued. "I was wondering if I could borrow a pencil? I'd like to write some postcards and tell every one I've found a cabin, and I seem to have forgotten to bring a pen or pencil."
"Certainly. We've got dozens of them," I said lightly. I opened the cash drawer and put my hand into it.
Then I shrieked and leaped backward. There, in the drawer, sat a huge black spider!
Then I remembered, and I could feel the color flooding into my face. I had been taken in by my own trick--and before an audience, too!