Other editions of book The Tin Soldier

- This eBook is included Active Links in Table of contentCONTENTSBOOK ONE ON THE SHELFCHAPTER I THE TOY SHOPII CINDERELLAIII DRUSILLAIV THE QUESTIONV THE SLACKERVI THE PROMISEVII HILDAVIII THE SHADOWED ROOMIX ROSE-COLOR!X A MAN WITH MONEYXI HILDA WEARS A CROWNXII WHEN THE MORNING STARS SANGXIII ARE MEN MADE ONLY FOR THIS?XIV SHINING SOULSXV HILDA BREAKS THE RULESXVI JEAN-JOANXVII THE WHITE CATBOOK TWO THROUGH THE CRACKXVIII THE BROAD HIGHWAYXIX HILDA SHAKES A TREEXX THE VISION OF BRAVE WOMENXXI DERBY'S WIFEXXII JEAN PLAYS PROXYBOOK THREE THE BUGLE CALLSXXIII THE EMPTY HOUSEXXIV THE SINGING WOMANXXV WHITE VIOLETSXXVI THE HOPE OF THE WORLDXXVII MARCHING FEETXXVIII SIX DAYSXXIX "HE CAME TO THE WARS!"----THE TIN SOLDIERCHAPTER ITHE TOY SHOPThe lights shining through the rain on the smooth street made of it a golden river.The shabby old gentleman navigated unsteadily until he came to a corner. A lamp-post offered safe harbor. He steered for it and took his bearings. On each side of the glimmering stream loomed dark houses. A shadowy blot on the triangle he knew to be a church. Beyond the church was the intersecting avenue. Down the avenue were the small exclusive shops which were gradually encroaching on the residence section.The shabby old gentleman took out his watch. It was a fine old watch, not at all in accord with the rest of him. It was almost six. The darkness of the November afternoon had come at five. The shabby old gentleman swung away from the lamppost and around the corner, then bolted triumphantly into the Toy Shop."Here I am," he said, with an attempt at buoyancy, and sat down."Oh," said the girl behind the counter, "you are wet.""Well, I said I'd come, didn't I? Rain or shine? In five minutes I should have been too late—shop closed—" He lurched a little towards her.She backed away from him. "You—you are—wet—won't you take cold—?""Never take cold—glad to get here—" He smiled and shut his eyes, opened them and smiled again, nodded and recovered, nodded and came to rest with his head on the counter.The girl made a sudden rush for the rear door of the shop. "Look here, Emily. Poor old duck!"Emily, standing in the doorway, surveyed the sleeping derelict scornfully. "You'd better put him out. It is six o'clock, Jean—""He was here yesterday—and he was furious because I wouldn't sell him any soldiers. He said he wanted to make a bonfire of the Prussian ones—and to buy the French and English ones for his son," she laughed."Of course you told him they were not for sale.""Yes. But he insisted. And when he went away he told me he'd come again and bring a lot of money—"The shabby old gentleman, rousing at the psychological moment, threw on the counter a roll of bills and murmured brokenly:"'Ten little soldiers fighting on the line,One was blown to glory, and, then there were nine—!'"...

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Irene Temple Bailey (February 20, 1869 – July 6, 1953) was an American novelist and short story writer. Beginning around 1902, Temple Bailey was contributing stories to national magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Cavalier Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The American Magazine, McClure's, Woman's Home Companion, Good Housekeeping, McCall's and others. In 1914, Bailey wrote the screenplay for the Vitagraph Studios film Auntie, and two of her books were filmed. She also had three of her books on the list of bestselling novels in the United States in 1918, 1922, and 1926 as determined by Publishers Weekly.