Jerry's Charge Account

r a Ten-D

in it nearly a mile to the shopping center became cons

have to put away eight dollars and twenty-one cents for Mr. Bartlett.

Give him a pencil in his hand and he could do pretty well at figuring. But his mind seemed to go blank when he had to carry and

brain. He'd be almost sure to have a pencil or a ballpoint pen. But Jerry asked him and he didn't, so Jerry gave him a line about being a whiz at ari

urse." He didn't add "Stupid," but he looked as if that were what he was thinking. Jerry didn't care. He knew a lot o

he wanted to know the answer to that particular sum in subtraction. "One dolla

store. He took his place in what he thought was the shortest line. Some woman had forgotten to have her bag of bananas weighed and that held up the line. The next woman wanted to cash a check and that h

twice as long, before Jerry reached the cl

change," said the young

t buying anything. But he had to get his ten-dollar bill changed. He didn't have the heart to wait in ano

too elegant to approach. At the hardware store he was told that he could have two fives for

barber usually cut Jerry's hair. Jerry w

," George greeted him. "Did you come in to get you

his crew cut. Rather timidly he asked to have his ten-do

ge, with the banks closed all day," said George. He went t

id Jerry with g

arbershop. A big red setter dog was pawing the bag of groceries. "Red! Get away from the

nd grabbed the other end of the leg of la

aking part in baseball games. He ran bases and barked as loud as any of the players could shout. Last Saturday Jerry might have made a

red setter braced

Leggo! Leggo!"

ender heart. He let go of his end of the leg of lamb so sudde

of lamb in the torn paper bag. It was a lucky thing he had come out of the barbershop before Red had run off with it. "That dog is getting to

ink up a way of motorizing it, fix it up like sort of a four-wheeled motor scooter. Maybe put an engine on

ried and put away. And Mrs. Martin, dressed for town, scol

any shopping done and get back in time for lunch, we have to start. You'll have to lo

ve their little brothers tag

nce too far or you

at made him wary of making her any more

the park Andy can play with him and keep that

the groceries and did not notice that anyt

y change?"

llar and seventy-nine cents due his mother. He handed it over, his eyes downcast. For some reason he did not want to meet his mother'

, Jerry, you're too old for me to have to tell you eve

he know how little like play it was. Jerry had to stifle the impul

time at the groce

Jerry could tell that his twin sister was pleased with his being stuck w

r. Trying to button her jacket and hold on to her red patent leather handbag

tick of shiny gold-colored metal. "Don't tell me you've t

lips get chapped. Take your foot off that,

k. He said it whether it was appropriate or not, liking the sound of it and the reac

broke your model sate

car

g so aggravating," Ca

er this morning. Be a good boy, Andy. Mind Jerry. Don

hance to find a good hiding place for Mr. Bartlett's eight dollars and

I have to go up attic for

go wit

you d

hest? No, his mother was forever cleaning out drawers. In one of the garment bags in which were hung out-of-season clothes? That might do. He would need the hiding place only for the month of April-before warm weather. Bec

going to hog the candy for myself. Course I may help myself to a piece or two when I get it. No, I'll bring the whole box home and pass it around," he decided generously. "And if Dad is convinced, and that box of free

s sounded and

lonesome," he

I was doing up here. I'll get m

ay ball

r's mitt when I'm not using it. And I'll throw you a few eas

o him. He decided that when Mr. Bartlett presented

tiently while Andy came down the stairs slowly all the way like a grownup and not two feet on the