to half roast and half freeze on the same day. This morning
felt like June and this afternoon's more like March. That's Washington
spring weather for you."

Jerry agreed that the weather had turned chilly. He watched the flames
lick the charcoal briquets in the fireplace.

Mr. Bullfinch had a grate shaped like a cradle in his fireplace and
burned charcoal or coal instead of logs. It would be a wonderful fire
for a cook-out, Jerry thought. Only he guessed that if you cooked a
meal over an open fire indoors, it should be called a cook-in.

Mr. Bullfinch inquired after the parrot's health, and Jerry said that
as far as he could tell, it was good. Jerry said he had wheeled the
television set over so the parrot could watch the ball game.

"I would have been looking at it, too, if I hadn't had to mow the lawn
and then go to the store."

"I can see that you are a busy lad," sympathized Mr. Bullfinch.

"I probably won't be over here so often after Monday," said Jerry,
after replacing the tobacco pouch in the grandfather clock.

"That so? We shall miss having you run in every day or so. Hope you
won't be too much of a stranger."

Mr. Bullfinch did not ask why Jerry's visits would be less frequent
after Monday. That was one of the nice things about Mr. Bullfinch, his
showing no curiosity about Jerry's affairs. Jerry was so grateful to
him for not asking embarrassing questions that he found it hard not to
break down and tell him all about the charge account. But that was a
temptation Jerry had already successfully resisted several times and
he now did again.

"After I get the candy Monday I'll give him some and tell him all
about it," Jerry vowed.

Jerry was pleased to find his father finishing mowing the lawn.

"At the rate you were going I thought you might not get it done before
dark," his father greeted him.

That was the way parents were. Instead of being grateful for what you
had done, they bawled you out for not finishing the last bit. "I would
have done it," said Jerry.

Jerry raked up the grass clippings before he took the box of raisins
in to his mother. "Where's Cathy?" he asked.

"I think she's down looking at TV."

Jerry ran down to the recreation room. The TV had been turned off.
Cathy was standing close to Pedro's cage.

"Cathy. Cathy. Cathy," she repeated. "Say Cathy."

Jerry was indignant. While he had been hard at work on the lawn and
then running to the store, Cathy had been trying to teach