the stove and clattered pots and pans as she put
things on to reheat.

His father's clear blue eyes were on Jerry. "After dinner," he said,
"you and I will have a little talk."

Jerry did not look forward to that talk, yet it took more than dread
to spoil his appetite. His mother said that the onions and asparagus
were not as good as when they had been freshly cooked more than two
hours ago. But they tasted fine to Jerry. Nor did he mind that the pot
roast and rolls were reheated. He slathered butter on three rolls and
would have eaten a fourth if he had not seen the necessity of saving
room for a piece of apple pie.

Only Andy bothered Jerry with questions while he was eating. "Where
did you go?" he asked.

"To the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, if you must
know," said Jerry. "I walked up but I rode down in the Monument."

"Is that all you did?" asked Andy.

"I just walked around."

"Walking around gave you a good appetite," said Mr. Martin, as he cut
another slice of pot roast for Jerry's plate. "A good thing you don't
walk around five or six hours every day or I might not be able to
pay the grocery bill."

[Illustration]

Jerry winced. He knew his father meant paying cash for groceries, not
a grocery bill. His father did not have bills--never charged things.
Looking at his father's firm mouth and chin, Jerry wondered how he
could have expected to win his father over to having a charge account.
Parents were the way they were and stayed that way. Especially his
father. It would take much more than half a pound of candy to make him
change his mind about charge accounts, Jerry now fully realized.

Mr. Martin said he and Jerry would have their talk down in the
recreation room. Jerry noticed his mother and Cathy looked worried.
Maybe they expected his father to give him a beating. Jerry was a
little worried about that prospect himself.

Jerry saw Pedro watching them as he and his father sat down on the
sofa.

"Has Pedro talked any more?" Jerry asked.

"Stop gawking at that parrot and pay attention to me," said Jerry's
father.

"Yes, sir."

"You had your mother worried sick."

Jerry said he was sorry.

"Did you stay out so long on purpose to worry her?"

Jerry said that had not been the reason at all. He confessed that he
had intended to run away to Florida but had changed his mind and come
home.

Mr. Martin's sternness softened. "A good many boys run away from
home," he said. "The