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“Nonsense! It is only going to be a make-believe battle!” said the Calico Clown. “Our Captain told me about it. It is to be a sham battle to amuse us. See, they are aiming their guns at one another!”

And as he spoke the Rag Doll looked and saw the two companies of Tin Soldiers ready to take part in a battle.

“Oh, hold me! Hold me!” whispered the Rag Doll to the Calico Clown. “I know I am going to faint!”

CHAPTER II

SAVING THE CLOWN

“Ready! Take aim! Fire!” cried the Bold Tin Soldier Captain.

“Bang! Bang!” cracked the tin guns, some in the hands of one “army” and some shot off by the other “army.” The Soldiers had divided themselves into two “armies,” to give a make-believe fight to amuse the other toys.

“Crack! Crack! Bang! Bang!” rattled the tin guns.

But the guns were so small and there was such a little bit of the make-believe powder in each one that the noise they made would not have broken an egg, to say nothing of hurting the ears of a Rag Doll.

“Are you going to faint?” asked the Calico Clown of the Doll. He stood with his arms stretched out, ready to catch her in case she did.

“No! No, I don’t believe I shall faint!” she answered. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” she suddenly laughed.

“What is so funny?” asked the Calico Clown. “I didn’t tell a joke or ask a riddle, did I?” For that is what he sometimes did to make the toys in the department store laugh.

“No, you didn’t do anything,” answered the Rag Doll. “It is just that you look so funny, standing there ready to catch me with those brass things on your hands. Ha! Ha!”

“Those are my cymbals,” said the Clown. “I can’t let go of them. They are fastened on. Sometimes I get tired of them, but I cannot get rid of them.”

“I know it, and it was too bad of me to laugh at you,” answered the Rag Doll. “I did not mean to make fun of you, and it was very kind on your part, to be ready to catch me if I fainted. But you did look so funny!”

The Bold Tin Soldiers were doing their best to make some entertainment for the other toys.

“Ready! Aim! Fire!” cried the Captain to his men, again and again.

“Ready! Aim! Fire!” shouted the Sergeant to his men, for he had been given command of half the toy Soldiers for this sham fight.

The guns popped, the Soldiers rushed back and forth on the toy counter. Some pretended to be hit and fell down as natural as anything.

But at last the Bold Tin Soldier Captain and his men seemed to be winning. Most of the Captain’s Soldiers were up on their feet, while quite a number of the Sergeant’s men had fallen over.

“Surrender! Surrender! Give up!” shouted the Captain, as he rushed with his men toward the Sergeant and his men. “Surrender! Hoist the white flag!”

“All right, it is hoisted!” answered the Sergeant, and he tied his handkerchief on the end of his gun, where the stickery thing, called a bayonet, was fastened. “We surrender!” said the Sergeant.

“All right! Stop firing!” called the Captain to his men. “We have captured the enemy and the battle is over.”

“I’m so glad it was only a make-believe one, and no one was hurt,” sighed the Rag Doll.

“It was very jolly, all right,” said the Candy Rabbit. “This is the first make-believe fight I ever saw. Are you going to have another, Captain?”

“Not to-night,” was the reply. “My men are tired, but we are glad if you toys enjoyed our efforts.”

“We certainly did,” declared the Monkey on a Stick. “I wish I had joined the army instead of going through life on a stick, climbing to the top and climbing down again,” he added, with a sigh.

“Oh, well, we cannot all be soldiers,” said the Jack in the Box.