"I—I'm s-s-sorry, Jerry. I'll n-n-never do it again. You ain't mad at m-m-me any m-m-more, are you, Jerry?"
"No, I ain't mad at you," Jerry assured her.
"Then will you m-m-marry me when we are g-g-grown up, Jerry?"
Jerry flushed uncomfortably at that and felt that Celia Jane was taking an unfair advantage of him, so he did not answer.
"W-w-will you, J-J-Jerry?" Celia Jane besought him.
"No," said Jerry at length.
"Why w-w-won't you?"
Jerry felt himself flushing still more hotly from head to foot, partly at the smile he saw his father and mother exchange and partly at Celia Jane's importunity.
"Because," he said.