Jerry's Charge Account

and Strip

uction in town he now and then went to one in nearby Maryland or Virginia-Jerry always had to be shown what treasure Mr. Bullfinch had acquired. One day it was a worn Oriental rug, another, an incomplete set of fine English porcelain. The prize purchase as far as Jerry was concerned was an old-fashioned phonograph with a horn

alker. She told Jerry very much more than he cared to know about her family, Mr. Bullfinch's family, and every college town they had lived in while Mr. Bullfi

Mrs. Bullfinch. "Having so many students come to college without kn

Jerry would have asked her what had turned her hair gray if he had not been afraid it would have been too long a story. Not that Jerry disliked Mrs. Bull

home from the store. It was Jerry's favorite record, with John Philip Sousa leading his own band. One reason Jerry liked this particular march was because he had shaken bells to it in the rhythm band at school. Next summ

paying much attention to his mother's scolding, when

from the store in a hurry,

He might ask her if she wanted the groceries charged before she got the money out to pay for them. And good-by then to Jerry's secret charge a

why can't you come right home with the groceries? Now I was going to make Bavarian

lly was. He was very f

ngerbread mix. And I can make

be swell,"

rised if you found her somewhere with her nose in a

ing. Cathy was not old enough to go steady-Jerry had heard his mother say so-and it made Jerry sick that his twin sister liked to read all that guff about having dates with boys and things like that. Now a horse story, or a dog story-they were good reading. So were books about rockets, pl

" said Jerry in a mocking voice. "Mummy wants

es were dreamy. She sighed. "I suppose it's

ly as she could like a movie star whose latest picture she had

more closely. He threw it down. "Cathy must have roc

account. A year ago he could have confided in her safely. She could have been counted on both to keep the secret and to help him. They always stuck together, he and Cathy, until she had changed. Now half the time she acted as if she were against him. Look a

recreation room and t

d twenty-five cents a

en to kid stuff. It seemed long ago that he had sent box to

re but he didn't mind reading it again. He liked the book because he felt

run to the store for a pound of cheddar cheese before the store closed. And the smallest she had was a five-dollar bill. Jerry took his bike and deter

rush in, get his change, and be home in a jiffy. But nobody answered the bell. Jerry rang again, with

the bell. "They should have told me they weren't going to be home," he thought, yet he really knew th

s past time for Mrs. Bullfinch to be getting dinner." But what if the Bullfinche

t that sent him around the house testing every window he could reach to see if he could fin

in over an empty coalbin. The Bullfinches had an oil furnace but Jerr

my pants dirty but I g

make himself break in the Bullfinch house. He needed to get in. He kept telling himself that probably the Bull

of? Nobody's going to find out. And if

the windowsill, he heard music, familiar music, "The Stars and Stripes Forever." While he had been fussing and

oor. And the music had stopped. But Jerry had heard it. He knew he had heard it. Somebody must be there. Then why didn't somebody come to let him in? Giving

eir car is in the garage and then I'll know for sure if they're home. I migh

ge door was open. No car. It was obvious

aying 'The Stars and Stripes Forever.'" Jerry wond

voice. And there was Andy ju

pose I know it

with a screech of brakes in front of the Bullfinch

Bullfinch showed Jerry where he kept an extra key behind the mailbox,

y I would trust,"

air of hand-wrought andirons shaped like little lighthouses, but Jerry did not stop t

me with the cheese too late for me to make cheese sauce for the broccoli. I'm at the end of

" said Cathy, getting ice cubes out of the refrigerat

le!" snar

ve seen a person isn't

ur mouth too much

ou do over at th

your bu

og fight. Go get Andy out of the bathroom, Jerry. He came home looking as if he'd been in a coal mine

knowing what he did over at the Bullfinches'. He sighed. It was all getting too comp

n pudding with meringue on top, one of Jerr

Jerry, pushing

feel all shriveled up inside. Mr. Bullfinch looked taller to Jerry than

easantly surprised at you, Jerry. I didn't size you up as a boy who would break into a neighbor's hou

I did

he rug in my den. Though that I might not h

ell you I didn't

'm not sure it's not my duty to report you to the police. I won't this time, for the sake of your parents if nothing more. An

y had been in the house and didn't dare say so because of the broken record. Record! Now Jerry was sure he had not been imagining hearing music while he had been sitting on the sill of the cellar window. Somebod

obacco pouch under the cushion of a big chair in the li

artin, as Jerry took his

ething I'd left at his house."

you leave

his business. "Ask me no questions and

nly boasted. "I can whistle

lips and whistled. He still was not much of a whistler, yet from the shrill pip

the Bullfinch house. Jerry was as sure of it as of the nose on his face. "While I was out looking in the garage he would have just had time to get out of the house," Jer

whistling at the dinner table,"

early perfect angel, Jerry thought. Jerry remembered how Andy would

of him unless you have a key," thought Jerry. And he wondered