A Christmas Tree 119 



three hundred and sixty-five notches cut, we'll have 

 another celebration. And, to be sure I don't forget 

 any, I'll cut a notch on the other side every time the 

 moon changes: fifty-two weeks and thirteen lunar 

 months make a year." 



For two days the tree stood under the royal palm 

 and Snowball and the monkey looked up to it as the 

 source of everything good. On the morning of the 

 third day, a crash was heard, mingled with howls 

 and bawls. The monkey had become impatient and 

 had climbed up to get some candy from one of the 

 limbs and Snowball had followed him. All that un- 

 expected weight on one side was too much for the 

 tree's equilibrium. 



Musical Moments 



The boys made whistles and flutes of bamboo and 

 the trumpet tree, and an instrument of deeper tones 

 from a gourd with a long neck. Edna accompanied 

 them on her comb, until thev finallv succeeded in 

 making her a banjo, with strings of twisted fibers 

 heavily coated with wax and pine resin. A conch 

 shell from the beach completed the orchestral outfit. 

 Snowball tried to sing, anxious to do his share, but 

 he had to be stopped to prevent the monkey from 

 howling. 



