Jerry's Charge Account   By: Hazel Hutchins Wilson (1898-1992)

CHARGE

ACCOUNT

by Hazel Wilson

Jerry Martin asked for it. If the candy in Mr. Bartlett's store hadn't looked so good to him, he wouldn't have started the charge account and he would have escaped all that worry and trouble.

The worst thing about it was that it was sort of fun, too. It was fun keeping his twin sister Cathy guessing, fun trying to keep his secret from the family, especially his little brother Andy.

So Jerry kept getting deeper and deeper into his predicament, like a man in quicksand. The plain fact was, Jerry's father didn't approve of charge accounts, and Jerry wasn't likely to change his mind for him, candy or no candy. Then, when somebody broke into Mr. Bullfinch's house next door, the trouble became serious.

There is laughter and suspense, and a hidden lesson in this story of an impulsive boy and his true to life family.

Illustrated by Charles Geer

BOOKS BY HAZEL WILSON

THE SURPRISE OF THEIR LIVES

TALL SHIPS

THE RED DORY

JERRY'S CHARGE ACCOUNT

Jerry's Charge Account

[Illustration]

JERRY'S CHARGE ACCOUNT

by Hazel Wilson

with illustrations by Charles Geer

LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY

BOSTON · TORONTO

COPYRIGHT, ©, 1960, BY HAZEL WILSON

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT BY A REVIEWER WHO MAY QUOTE BRIEF PASSAGES IN A REVIEW TO BE PRINTED IN A MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NO. 60 5877

FOURTH PRINTING

Published simultaneously in Canada by Little, Brown & Company (Canada) Limited

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This book is affectionately dedicated to Gregory and Kevin

Contents

1 Charge It, Please 3

2 Change for a Ten Dollar Bill 18

3 P. T. A. Meeting 29

4 No Safe Hiding Place 44

5 New Neighbors 56

6 "The Stars and Stripes Forever" 66

7 Working on Andy 81

8 The Auction 93

9 As Good as a Watchdog 107

10 May Day 125

11 Welcome Home! 138

Jerry's

Charge

Account

1

Charge It, Please

Jerry tried to be quiet, but he bumped into the one chair in the kitchen on his way to the kitchen cupboard. And it was not his fault that the cream pitcher fell when he took the sugarbowl from the shelf. Jerry made a quick and nice southpaw catch. Pretty good, he thought, for a right hander. He hadn't been able to use his right because it was holding the sugarbowl. He had dumped the sugar into a cereal dish and was busily pouring salt into the sugarbowl when his mother entered the kitchen.

"What on earth are you doing up so early on Saturday?" Mrs. Martin asked sleepily. "It's only half past six."

Jerry's blue eyes begged his mother to share a joke with him. "I woke up and remembered it's April Fools' Day," he said and chuckled. "Can't you just see Dad's face when he tastes his coffee with two spoonfuls of salt in it instead of sugar?"

"No, Jerry," said his mother. "No. It wouldn't be at all funny to spoil your father's morning coffee. It would be tragic. Put the salt back, rinse out the sugarbowl, and refill it with sugar. And no more April fooling with your father's breakfast."

"Aw, I never can have any fun around here," Jerry complained. Salt spilled on the floor when he poured it from the sugarbowl back into the spout of the salt box.

"Sweep it up," ordered his mother, and Jerry had to get out the brush and dustpan.

When he went to the sink to rinse the sugarbowl, Jerry turned on the hot water so hard that he had to draw his hand back quickly or it would have been scalded. The sugarbowl fell in the sink and broke.

"Oh, dear! I need cast iron dishes instead of china if you're to handle them," scolded Mrs. Martin.