Part 8 (1/2)

”No, it was not a thorn. It was my sword that p.r.i.c.ked you,” said the Bold Tin Soldier. ”I only stuck you a little bit this first time, but if you keep on teasing my friend, Miss Sawdust Doll, I shall have to do something worse. You had better run away!”

”Yes, I think I had,” howled the dog. ”I didn't know your sword was so sharp. Ouch, my paw hurts!”

”Well, I am sorry I had to hurt you,” said the Captain. ”But if you had behaved yourself it would not have happened.”

”I'll put a gra.s.s poultice on it,” said the Sawdust Doll. ”I know something about nursing, for once in a while Dorothy pretends I am in a hospital. I'll bind some gra.s.s on your foot, Mr. Dog, if you will promise to let me alone.”

”Yes, I'll do that,” was the barking answer. ”And I am sorry I was so unkind to you. Please forgive me!”

The Sawdust Doll said she would. Then the Bold Tin Soldier, with the same sword that had p.r.i.c.ked the dog, cut some gra.s.s, and it was bound on the dog's paw. The sword p.r.i.c.k was not a very deep one, and would soon heal. Then, limping on three legs, the dog ran away, and the toys were left to themselves once more.

By this time Patrick had let the children do all the hose sprinkling he thought was good for them, so back came running d.i.c.k and Dorothy, Arnold and Mirabell, to play with their toys again.

”What shall we play now?” asked d.i.c.k of Arnold. ”Shall we have another battle with the Tin Soldiers?”

”Let's go to the garage and play we're going on an automobile trip,”

said Arnold. ”We have had enough battles today.”

So the Captain and his men were put back in their box and the cover was closed down.

”Oh, dear!” thought the Lamb on Wheels. ”Now if anything happens, such as a big dog coming again, the Captain can not save us. He can not get out of the box.”

But the Lamb need not have worried, for she was taken into the house by Mirabell, and so was the Sawdust Doll and the Rocking Horse. The little girls went down the street to play with a friend named Madeline, leaving their own toys in Dorothy's house, while d.i.c.k and Arnold went out to the garage, and from there over to Arnold's house.

But though no big dog came into the home of d.i.c.k and Dorothy to carry away the Sawdust Doll, something else happened, almost as bad, at least for the Bold Tin Soldier.

He and his men had been put in their box, and the box was put on a table in the playroom, together with the Lamb on Wheels, the Sawdust Doll and the White Rocking Horse. When Arnold and Mirabell went home they would take the Soldiers and the Lamb with them.

But before this came about something happened. A lady came to call on Dorothy's mother, bringing with her a little boy named Tad. Now Tad was not a bad little boy, but he was always looking for something to play with and he was not careful.

When Tad reached the home of d.i.c.k and Dorothy and found neither of the children was in, and when he saw his mother and Dorothy's mother talking together, Tad wandered about by himself to find something with which he could have fun. And the first thing he saw was the box of Tin Soldiers.

”Oh, now I can have some fun!” cried Tad.

He opened the box and took out the Bold Tin Captain. Then he took out the other Soldiers, the Sergeant, the Corporal and all the men.

''Ha! Now I can have a battle!'' cried Tad, and he threw all the Soldiers in a heap on the floor.

”Oh, my, this little fellow is a dreadful chap!” thought the Captain. ”If he isn't careful he will break some of us.”

”I'm glad we don't belong to him!” thought the Sergeant.

Still the Soldiers could do nothing, nor could they say anything, as Tad was there looking at them with his big, blue eyes. And Tad did more than look. He handled the Tin Soldiers very roughly.

The carpet was so soft that when they were thrown out of their box they were not hurt, but as Tad grew rougher and rougher as he handled the Captain and his men, the Bold Tin Soldier began to be very much worried.

”Stand up there!” cried Tad, and he jabbed the Soldiers, one after the other, down very hard on the carpet. Now the carpet, being soft and thick, was not a very good place for the Soldiers to stand on.

They fell over very easily, and, seeing this, Tad cried: