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.
“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!”