Willa Jean returned to the accordion as if it might have learned to play while she let it rest, but no, it went right on shrieking and groaning.“I know how I’ll make it play,” she said.

Ramona turned from the window in

time to see Willa Jean set her accordion on one end on the floor. Holding it down with one foot through the strap, she used both

hands to stretch it up as high as she could 18

pull it. Then, as Ramona understood what

she was about to do and tried to grab her, Willa Jean quickly took her foot out of the strap, turned, sat on the upended accordion, and lifted both feet from the floor. As she sank down, the accordion uttered one long

screech, as if it were dying in agony.

“Willa Jean!” cried Ramona, horrified and delighted by the dreadful piercing noise that left her ears ringing. Willa Jean jumped up beaming. The accordion, Ramona could see,

would never rise again. Its bellows had split, silencing it forever. “You broke it,” Ramona said, knowing she might have done the same thing at Willa Jean’s age.

“I don’t care,” said Willa Jean.“I made a big noise, and now I don’t want it anymore.”

Mrs. Kemp burst in to see what had hap-

pened. “You naughty girls!” she cried when she saw the remains of Uncle Hobart’s

present.

“But I didn’t do it,” protested Ramona.

“It’s not my fault.”

“An expensive musical instrument ruined,”

said Mrs. Kemp. “You’re a big girl, Ramona.

You should know better than let Willa Jean break it.” She turned to her granddaughter.

“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself ?”

20

“No,” said Willa Jean.“It’s a dumb old thing that wouldn’t play.”

“Willa Jean, go to your room,” ordered

Mrs. Kemp, who usually felt that anything

Willa Jean did or said was cute, sweet, or adorable.“I’m ashamed of you, spoiling your nice uncle’s homecoming.”

Scowling,Willa Jean did as she was told.

Mrs. Kemp turned to Ramona. “As for

you, young lady, you sit on that chair until your mother comes for you.”

Ramona sat, and Ramona seethed, angry

at the unfairness of all that had happened.

Why should she have to look after Willa

Jean when her mother paid Mrs. Kemp to

look after Ramona? And Uncle Hobart was

just plain stupid to give a little girl something she couldn’t use until she was older, but then, grown-ups were often stupid about presents.

Ramona knew. She had been given books

“to grow into,” and by the time she had

21

grown into them, they had lain around so long they no longer looked interesting. But an accordion—growing up to an accordion

would take forever.

Outside, other children had come to watch

Howie learn to ride his unicycle. Ramona