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

up and began to move into line, each one carrying his gun over his
shoulder.

As I have told you in my other books, the toys could pretend to come
to life and move about after dark, when no one was in the store to
see them. The toys could also move about by themselves in the day
time, if no human eyes watched them. But as there was nearly always
some one--either clerk or customer--in the store during the day,
the toys seldom had a chance to do as they pleased during daylight
hours. So most of their fun took place after dark, as was happening
now.

"Attention!" once more called the Captain. "Get ready, my brave men!
Forward--March!"

And then while some of the Soldiers who had fifes, drums, trumpets
and horns played a lively tune, the others, led by their Captain,
marched along. They went down the toy counter and paraded past the
place where the Candy Rabbit sat watching them. Straight and stiff
marched the Tin Soldiers, the music of the tin band becoming more
and more lively.

"Left, wheel!" called the Captain, and the Tin Soldiers turned to the
left.

"Right, wheel!" shouted the Captain, and the Tin Soldiers turned to
the right.

Then they marched around in a circle, and they marched in a square,
and they marched in a triangle, and in all sorts of fancy figures.
They swung around the Rag Doll, and the Captain waved his shiny
sword so fast that the Calico Clown cried:

"Oh, it is so dazzling bright that it hurts my eyes!"

And then the Bold Tin Soldier Captain led his men up a hill made of
a pile of building blocks.

"Oh, I hope they do not fall off!" said the Rag Doll.

"No, they won't fall," answered the Candy Rabbit. "I guess the
Captain knows what he is doing."

Straight up the building-block hill the Bold Tin Soldier led his
men, and when they reached the top he cried:

"Jump!"

"Oh mercy me!" screamed the Rag Doll, "they'll all be killed!"