Farewell Summer (Green Town 3)

‘So,’ said Douglas. ‘Hold your breath.’

‘It’s held,’ said Tom. ‘But Doug, I got something to say.’

‘What?’ said Doug.

‘You know that no matter when we go in, if we go in all together, someone’s going to see us and they’re going to remember our faces and we’re going to get in trouble. It was bad enough with the chess pieces out front of the courthouse. We were seen, and we had to give everything back. So, why don’t we wait until it’s all locked up?’

‘We can’t do that. I just said why.’

‘Tell you what,’ said Tom. ‘Why don’t I go in now and hide in the men’s until everyone’s gone home? Then I’ll sneak upstairs and let you in one of the windows near the clock tower. Up there, on the third floor.’ He pointed to a spot high up the ancient brick walls.

‘Hey!’ said all the gang.

‘That won’t work,’ said Doug.

‘Why not?’ said Tom.

Before Doug had time to think of a reason, Charlie piped up.

‘Sure it’ll work,’ said Charlie. ‘Tom’s right. Tom, you want to go in and hide now?’

‘Sure,’ said Tom.

Everyone was looking at Doug, still their general, and he had to give his approval.

‘What I don’t like,’ said Doug, ‘is smart alecks who think they know everything. Okay, go in and hide. When it gets dark, let us in.’

‘Okay,’ said Tom.

And he was gone.

People were coming out through the big bronze doors and Doug and the others pulled back around the corner of the building and waited for the sun to go down.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The courthouse was finally completely quiet and the night was dark and the boys climbed up the fire escape on the side of the building, very quietly, until they got up to the third floor, near the clock tower.

They stopped at the window where Tom was supposed to appear, but no one was there.

‘Gosh,’ said Doug. ‘I hope he didn’t get locked in the men’s room.’

‘They never lock the men’s room,’ said Charlie. ‘He’ll be here.’

And sure enough, all of a sudden, there was Tom behind the glass pane, waving to them and opening and shutting his mouth, but they couldn’t hear what he was saying.

At long last he raised the window and the smell of the courthouse rushed out into the night around them.

‘Get in,’ commanded Tom.

‘We are,’ said Doug, angrily.

One by one the boys crawled inside the courthouse and snuck along the hallways till they reached the clock machinery door.

‘I bet you,’ said Tom, ‘this darned door’s locked, too.’

‘No bets,’ said Doug, and rattled the doorknob. ‘Good grief! Tom, I hate to say it, but you’re right. Has anybody got a firecracker?’

Suddenly six hands reached into six dungaree pockets and just as suddenly reappeared with three four–inchers and a few five–inch crackers.