“Well, you may do that,� said the captain of the Tin Soldiers. “We should all be as jolly as we can, for there is no telling now, from day to day, with Christmas coming on, when one of us may be taken away.�
The Sawdust Doll thought of the little girl who had wanted her so much, and she thought of what the mother had said:
“Put that brown-eyed doll away for me. I shall come in again.�
“I wonder if she will really buy me for her little girl,� thought the Sawdust Doll.
And the White Rocking Horse remembered the boy who had jumped on his back and had taken a ride there in the store.
“I should like him for a master,� thought the White Rocking Horse.
“Well, now for the parade!� called the Bold Tin Soldier smartly. “Fall in, my men!�
“Fall in! Ha! Ha! Does he want them to fall into the Goldfish tank?� laughed the Calico Clown.
“Hush! Be quiet!� begged the Sawdust Doll. “When a captain tells his soldiers to ‘fall in’ he means for them to stand in a straight line so they may march.�
And that is just what the Tin Soldiers did. They stood in line behind their captain, who drew his shining tin sword, and then they marched in and out among the tables, counters and shelves of the toy department.