So the three happy children hurried through their oatmeal. They hurried so
fast that they had three little pains. Jehosophat had one right under his
belt, Marmaduke one in the centre of his blouse, Hepzebiah one under her
little red waist.
Mother came in from the kitchen. She looked at the empty bowls.
"What! All gone already! Look out or you'll each have to take a big
table-spoonful of the yellow stuff in that bottle."
There it stood, on the kitchen mantel. She pointed right at it. They hated
it worse than most anything in the world.
"I'm all right," said Jehosophat; and
"I'm not sick," protested Marmaduke; and
"Pain's all gone," cried Hepzebiah.
It was funny how the sight of that bottle frightened the three little pains
away.
Mother smiled. It was a funny smile. Then she said:
"Now, on with your things!"
Jehosophat sat on the floor and pulled on his new rubber boots, which
reached almost to his waist. On the stool sat Marmaduke, putting on his,
and Mother helped little Hepzebiah with her wee little ones.
Over Jehosophat's head went a red sweater, over Marmaduke's a green, and
over Hepzebiah's curls one of blue. Then wristlets and mittens and coats
and caps, and out into the deep white snow they tramped.
"Forward march!" said a voice.
They looked. It was the Toyman.
"The enemy is about to attack," he explained sternly.
"Where's the enemy?"
"You can't see them. But they're advancing fast. Up with the fort. Double
quick!"
So at double quick they marched to the barnyard, and began work with their
shovels.
My! how they dug! Fast flew the snow. And the Toyman packed it down hard,
and shaped it into the walls of a big strong fort.
It was odd, too, how the Toyman could find time to help. For he had lots of
work to do. But then the enemy was coming!
Rover and Brownie and Wienerwurst scampered around in the snow. They were
not of much help. All they did was to bark--bark--bark.
"Hush!" commanded the Toyman. "We must keep quiet so the enemy won't know
where we are."
So they dug and they dug and packed the snow hard. Soon the walls were as
high as Jehosophat's shoulders, and the fort was all ready.
The Toyman stopped and said:
"Now for the ammunition."
"What's ammunition?'
"Watch."
The Toyman took a handful of snow and crushed it hard between both hands.
When he had finished he opened his fingers. In his palm was a round white
ball. Then another he made and another. And the three little soldiers,
Jehosophat, Marmaduke, and Hepzebiah, made lots too. They piled them in the
corner of the fort, until they had a heap like the iron balls around the
cannon in the town park.
"Now," commanded the Toyman. "March to the barracks and get warm" (he
pointed at the house). "I'll watch and call when the enemy comes."
Into the house they went, and dried their mittens and warmed their hands.
And each had a cup of nice warm milk.
After a while there was a loud knock at the door, and the sound of a horn.
Mother opened the door a little way.
The horn sounded again. Then the voice spoke loudly:
"Fall in," it said. "_The enemy comes_!"
Quickly the three little soldiers put on their mittens and caps, and
buttoned their coats, and hurried to the fort.
They looked around. They could not see anybody with a horn. And the Toyman
was gone.
Over the walls of the fort they peeked.
There stood six soldiers staring at them. The six soldiers stood very
still. They were all white, but their eyes were black like pieces of coal,
and they stared hard at the three little soldiers within the fort. Over
their shoulders were six long round things.
"Guns," said Jehosophat.
They looked around for the Toyman. He did not come. Their hearts beat fast.
"We're not afraid," shouted Jehosophat at the white soldiers. "Come on, you
enemy!"
With that they heard a sound far off.
_Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat._
"What's that?" cried the smallest little soldier. And Captain Jehosophat
answered:
"Drums, drums,
"The enemy comes!"
Then he laughed. He had made a rhyme without thinking anything about it.
But he stopped laughing. It was no time for play. There was hard work
ahead. Those six white soldiers in front of the fort were ready to attack.
And there were more coming.
"Load!" he commanded.
Each little soldier took up a snowball.
_Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat_.
The drums sounded nearer now.
_Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat_.
Around the house came the sound of the drum.
Over the walls of the fort they peeked--very carefully.
There was a man marching. He looked something like the Toyman. But could
it be? No, for he was so changed. The man had a horn around his neck, and
a feather in his hat, and his face was stern. He was whistling "Yankee
Doodle." It sounded like a fife, and all the time he was beating the drum
with all his might.
_Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat_.
On through the snow the Tall Enemy marched. He reached the six white
soldiers who stood so still, with their guns over their shoulders.
He stopped and called out to the three little soldiers in the fort in a
loud voice:
"SURRENDER OR WE ATTACK!"
"_Never_!" was the brave answer of Captain Jehosophat.
"_Fire_!" he commanded.
Then he let a snowball fly.
He hit the Tall Enemy right in the face.
Then Marmaduke let another snowball fly.
That hit one of the white soldiers and knocked his black eye out.
And Hepzebiah threw her snowball. She tried very hard. But it didn't go
very far and didn't do any damage.
Jehosophat looked worried at that. He couldn't depend on Hepzebiah at all.
That left but two of them--against so many--and on came the Tall Enemy with
the feather in his cap, still beating his drum.
_Rat-a-tat-tat_. _Rat-a-tat-tat_. _Rat-a-tat-tat_.
The little soldiers must fight bravely now.
Fast flew the snowballs.
He was very near.
Then Marmaduke picked up the last snowball. He took good aim for it was the
last of their ammunition. Then he let it fly. It hit the Tall Enemy Man
right over his heart.
He fell in the snow.
"You've done for me!" he called in a weak voice.
Then the three little soldiers shouted and ran out of the fort.
There in the snow lay the dying enemy.
"You've won," he said in a sad voice. "I surrender."
"Hurrah, we've won!" they shouted. Then they stopped. They felt very sorry
for the enemy, for after all he had been very brave.
They bent over him.
Then something happened. All of a sudden the enemy seized the three little
soldiers in his arms.
And he laughed! Yes, laughed.
And hugged them all at once.
And the three little soldiers laughed happily too. For the Tall Enemy had
been the Toyman all the time and the six silent soldiers were only made of
snow.
Behind his heels they trudged into the house. But the Toyman had to carry
the littlest soldier in his arms. She was very cold and very tired.
But the three happy children ate a very good dinner and a very good supper
too, that day, for they were very hungry. And they had earned it after the
brave fight in the fort.
"Ting-ting." He's always on time, that Little Clock. So Good-night!