"bldtn10" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hope Laura Lee)

"These are my new Soldiers, Mirabell," said the boy. "Daddy took me
to the store and I bought them with some of my pocket money. But
Daddy gave me a dollar, too. Want to see my Soldiers fight?" asked
Arnold, as he stood the Corporal and the Sergeant where they could
help the Captain take charge of the men.

"Oh, no, Arnold! I don't want to see any soldiers fight! They might
shoot me!" cried the little girl, pretending to shiver.

"Nope! They won't shoot anybody!" said Arnold. "They have only make-
believe guns, and I'll only make-believe shoot 'em. I yell 'Bang!
Bang!' and that's all the shooting there is. Now watch, Mirabell."

The boy divided the tin toys into two companies, just as the tin
Captain himself had done with his men when he gave the fancy drill
on the counter before the Calico Clown swung from the string and
nearly caught fire. One of the companies was commanded by the
Captain, while the Sergeant, who had red stripes on his sleeves, was
in charge of the other.

"Now for the battle!" cried the boy. "Ready! Aim! Fire! Bang! Bang!"
And he yelled so loudly that his sister Mirabell put her hands over
her ears, just as, in the store, the Rag Doll had covered her ears.

"Mercy, don't shout so loud, Arnold!" cried Mirabell. "Oh, not so
loud!"

"I have to. This is a big fight!" the boy answered. "Bang! Bang!
Bang!"

Then he knocked some of the soldiers over, pretending they had
fallen in battle, and he moved some forward across the table and
some he moved back.

"One side is winning and the other side is losing," said the boy.
"The losing side is running away. Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"This is too much for me!" said Mirabell. "There is too much bang-
banging. I'm going to play with my Lamb on Wheels."

The Bold Tin Soldier Captain heard Mirabell say that, even above the
noise made by Arnold.

[Illustration: "I Just Arrived," Answered the Bold Tin Soldier.]

"Ha! Now I know where I heard those names before!" thought the
Captain. "The Sawdust Doll told us about these children when she
came back to the store to visit that day. They live next door to
Dick and Dorothy. Oh, I am in good company!"