Read Summer of Night for Free Online

growth shutting out the light. Behind him the Ashley Mansion became a dark jumble, a secret place of burned timbers and collapsed floors. He liked it best that way-mysterious and slightly ominous as it was now rather than merely sad and abandoned as it was in the light of day.
    They emerged from the night-black lane, formed up five abreast on Broad Street, and coasted downhill past the new section and Bandstand Park. They caught their breath and pedaled quickly to cross the Hard Road between a semi headed west and a semi headed east. The westbound truck's headlights caught Harlen and Kevin in their glare and Dale looked back in time to see Jim give the trucker the finger.
    An airhorn blasted behind them as they pedaled up Broad Avenue, bikes almost silent on the asphalt under the overarching elms, breathing in the scent of new-mown grass on the broad lawns which swept back away from the street to the big house. Gliding north past the post office and the small white library and the larger white building which was the Presbyterian Church where Dale and Lawrence went, farther north, another long block past tall houses where leaf shadow moved above and below streetlamps and where Mrs. Doub-bet's old house showed a single light on the second floor and Mrs. Duggan's house showed no light at all.
    They reached Depot Street and slid to a stop in the gravelly intersection, breathing softly. It was full night now. Bats darted above their heads. The sky cut pale patterns from the dark foliage above them. Dale squinted and saw the first star to the east.
    "See you guys tomorrow," said Harlen and swung his bike west up Depot Street.
    The others waited and watched until he was out of sight under the lower oaks and cottonwoods which darkened the street, until the sound of his pedaling was gone.
    "Let's go," whispered Kevin. "My mom's going to be furious."
    Mike grinned at Dale in the dim light and Dale could feel a lightness and energy in his arms and legs, an almost electrical charge of potential in his body. Summer. Dale punched his brother affectionately on the shoulder.
    "Cut it out," said Lawrence.
    Mike stood and pedaled east down Depot. There were no lights on this street and the last of the glow in the sky painted pale shapes on the road surface-shapes which were quickly erased by moving leaf shadows.
    They rushed past Old Central without speaking, but each of them glanced to his right to look at it, the view somewhat obstructed by the dying elms, the mass of the old building blocking out the sky.
    Kevin peeled off first, swinging left and crunching up his driveway. His mother was not in sight but the inner door was open-a sure sign that she had been calling him.
    Mike slid to a stop at the intersection of Depot and Second Avenue, the schoolyard an entire block of darkness behind them.
    "Tomorrow?" he said.
    "Yeah," said Dale.
    "Yeah," said Lawrence.
    Mike nodded and was gone.
    Dale and Lawrence put their bikes around back on the small open porch. They could see their mother moving around in the lighted kitchen. She was baking something and her face was flushed.
    "Listen," said Lawrence, grabbing his older brother's hand.
    Across the street, in the darkness around Old Central, there was a sibilant rush as of voices speaking hurriedly in an adjoining room.
    "It's just a TV somewhere…" began Dale, but then he heard the sound of breaking glass, a shout quickly stifled.
    They stood there another minute but a wind had come up and the leaves rustling in the broad oak over the drive drowned any further sound.
    "Come on," said Dale, still holding his brother's hand.
    They went into the light.

FOUR
    Duane McBride waited in Bandstand Park until the Old Man got drunk enough to be thrown out of Carl's Tavern. It was past eight-thirty when the Old Man came staggering out, stood weaving on the curb, shook his fist and shouted curses at Dom Steagle, the owner of Carl's (there had been no Carl since 1943), and then tumbled into the pickup,