Children—Oh! Ah! It’s the beautiful tree!
Jimmy—Merry Christmas, iverybody!
Children—(enthusiastically) Merry Christmas, iverybody! (The grown people have followed the children into the room. There should be improvised seats of boxes, barrels, and boards. They seat themselves, and look expectantly at Elsie.)
(Elsie buries her face on Jimmy’s shoulder and begins to cry.)
Jimmy—Fhwat ails yez, Ilsie darlint? Tell Jimmy fhwat’s the matter av ye!
Elsie—It—it is not one Christmas tree, aretty. It—it is not one tree at all.
Jimmy—Sure it is. Don’t yez see the green on the branches av it?
Elsie—(looking up a minute) They is not no branches at all.
Pat—Thin what be they?
Elsie—I don’t know, but they no branches are, and that no tree is, whatever.