The Persistent Tin Soldier
There
were
once
five-and-twenty
tin
soldiers
.
They
were
all
brothers
,
born
of
the
same
old
tin
spoon
.
They
shouldered
their
muskets
and
looked
straight
ahead
of
them
,
splendid
in
their
uniforms
,
all
red
and
blue
.
The
very
first
thing
in
the
world
that
they
heard
was
,
"
Tin
soldiers
!
"
A
small
boy
shouted
it
and
clapped
his
hands
as
the
lid
was
lifted
off
their
box
on
his
birthday
.
He
immediately
set
them
up
on
the
table
.
All
the
soldiers
looked
exactly
alike
except
one
.
He
looked
a
little
different
as
he
had
been
cast
last
of
all
.
The
tin
was
short
,
so
he
had
only
one
leg
.
But
there
he
stood
,
as
steady
on
one
leg
as
any
of
the
other
soldiers
on
their
two
.
But
just
you
see
,
he
'll
be
the
remarkable
one
.
On
the
table
with
the
soldiers
were
many
other
playthings
,
and
one
that
no
eye
could
miss
was
a
marvelous
castle
of
cardboard
.
It
had
little
windows
through
which
you
could
look
right
inside
it
.
And
in
front
of
the
castle
were
miniature
trees
around
a
little
mirror
supposed
to
represent
a
lake
.
The
wax
swans
that
swam
on
its
surface
were
reflected
in
the
mirror
.
All
this
was
very
pretty
but
prettiest
of
all
was
the
little
lady
who
stood
in
the
open
doorway
of
the
castle
.
Though
she
was
a
paper
doll
,
she
wore
a
dress
of
the
fluffiest
gauze
.
A
tiny
blue
ribbon
went
over
her
shoulder
for
a
scarf
,
and
in
the
middle
of
it
shone
a
spangle
that
was
as
big
as
her
face
.
The
little
lady
held
out
both
her
arms
,
as
a
ballet
dancer
does
,
and
one
leg
was
lifted
so
high
behind
her
that
the
tin
soldier
could
n't
see
it
at
all
,
and
he
supposed
she
must
have
only
one
leg
,
as
he
did
.
"
That
would
be
a
wife
for
me
,
"
he
thought
.
"
But
maybe
she
's
too
grand
.
She
lives
in
a
castle
.
I
have
only
a
box
,
with
four-and-twenty
roommates
to
share
it
.
That
's
no
place
for
her
.
But
I
must
try
to
make
her
acquaintance
.
"
Still
as
stiff
as
when
he
stood
at
attention
,
he
lay
down
on
the
table
behind
a
snuffbox
,
where
he
could
admire
the
dainty
little
dancer
who
kept
standing
on
one
leg
without
ever
losing
her
balance
.
When
the
evening
came
the
other
tin
soldiers
were
put
away
in
their
box
,
and
the
people
of
the
house
went
to
bed
.
Now
the
toys
began
to
play
among
themselves
at
visits
,
and
battles
,
and
at
giving
balls
.
The
tin
soldiers
rattled
about
in
their
box
,
for
they
wanted
to
play
too
,
but
they
could
not
get
the
lid
open
.
The
nutcracker
turned
somersaults
,
and
the
slate
pencil
squeaked
out
jokes
on
the
slate
.
The
toys
made
such
a
noise
that
they
woke
up
the
canary
bird
,
who
made
them
a
speech
,
all
in
verse
.
The
only
two
who
stayed
still
were
the
tin
soldier
and
the
little
dancer
.
Without
ever
swerving
from
the
tip
of
one
toe
,
she
held
out
her
arms
to
him
,
and
the
tin
soldier
was
just
as
steadfast
on
his
one
leg
.
Not
once
did
he
take
his
eyes
off
her
.
Then
the
clock
struck
twelve
and
-
clack
!
-
up
popped
the
lid
of
the
snuffbox
.
But
there
was
no
snuff
in
it
,
no-out
bounced
a
little
black
bogey
,
a
jack-in-the-box
.
"
Tin
soldier
,
"
he
said
.
"
Will
you
please
keep
your
eyes
to
yourself
?
"
The
tin
soldier
pretended
not
to
hear
.
The
bogey
said
,
"
Just
you
wait
till
tomorrow
.
"
