why does not the narrator adopt jerry

Narrator, a writer, has a boy from the nearby orphanage come by and cut wood for her every day. Jerry is sent, and he and the Narrator grow close. Jerry is a good kid who forms a bond not only with her, but also her dog, but the narrator has a job that requires travel. Jerry talks about his mother who lives in Manville and sends him gifts. The Narrator decides to leave and stops at the orphanage to leave Jerry some money for gifts. There, she learns that Jerry made up the mother and he doesn't have one. She ends up adopting him.