黑狗

The small boy played with his toys in the daytime. He ran and jumped around his room with his black dog. He sang with his pretty bird. He marched with his twenty-five soldiers to march music. He danced happily with his pretty dancer. He was happy to be with his toys.

　　In the evening the small boy put the twenty-five soldiers in the box and went to bed. One night the room was dark and everybody in the house was fast asleep. When the clock struck twelve, the toys woke up and began to play. First, the black dog turned his key and jumped around the room. He barked at the bird in the cage. The bird sang. The small paper dancer
danced by her paper house. The twenty-five soldiers wanted to play with them, but they couldn't. Their box was closed. They kicked the lid again and again, but it would not open.
　　The small tin soldier happened to find a small hole in one side of the box. He looked through it. He saw the pretty paper dancer dancing by the paper house. "How well she's dancing! I love her more than anyone else, and she's going to be my wife," he said very quietly.

　　The black dog heard him. "She's not yours! She's mine! Stop looking at her, or I'll bite you tomorrow morning when you come out of the box," he said angrily.

　　The tin soldier was surprised. He stopped looking at the dancer and lay very straight in the box. He did not speak anymore.
　　The next morning the small boy took the twenty-five soldiers out of the box and put them by the window. It was open, and the black dog was very near it. The small tin soldier did not look at the dog.

　　It was windy. Suddenly a strong wind blew the small tin soldier onto the window sill. The wind blew stronger and he fell out of the window.

　　"Ha, ha," the black dog laughed nastily.
　　The small tin soldier fell a long way to the hard ground. The soldier's head hit the ground on the side of the road. His gun went into the ground and stuck there. His one leg was up in the air and he could not move.

　　Soon the small boy saw that the tin soldier was not by the window. He looked down at the road from the window, but he could not see the small tin soldier anywhere.
　　The small boy and a servant ran downstairs and out into the road. They looked everywhere for the small tin soldier. They called his name again and again, but they heard no answer. They went quite near him, but they did not see him.

　　Then the small boy and the servant went back into the house, and the small tin soldier was alone on the side of the road. Do you think he cried? No. He was brave and never cried.
　　小男孩白天跟他的玩具一起玩耍。他和黑狗绕着他的房间又跑又跳；他跟可爱的小鸟一起唱歌。他跟廿五个士兵随着进行曲的乐声一起以整齐的步伐行进。他跟漂亮的舞蹈家一起快乐地跳舞。他非常高兴跟他的玩具在一起。

　　晚上，小男孩把这廿五个士兵放到盒子里再去睡觉。有一天晚上，房间里很暗，屋子里每一个人都睡得很熟。当时钟敲了十二响时，这些玩具都醒过来，开始玩耍。首先，那只黑狗旋转他的钥匙，绕着房间蹦蹦跳跳，并对笼子里的小鸟吠叫。小鸟唱着歌。纸做的小舞蹈家在她的纸屋旁边跳舞。廿五个士兵想跟他们一起玩，但却无能为力。士兵们的盒子被盖起来了。他们一再地踢盖子，但却踢不开。
　　小锡士兵碰巧在盒子的一边发现一个小孔。他从小孔往外看。他看到那位漂亮的纸舞蹈家在纸屋旁边跳舞。他悄悄地说：『她跳得真好啊！没有人比我更爱她，她将成为我的妻子。』

　　黑狗听到他说的话，生气地说：『她不是你的！她是我的！不要看着她，否则明天早上你从盒子里面走出来的时候我就咬你。』
　　锡士兵吃了一惊。他不再看着舞蹈家，挺直地躺在盒子里，不发一语。

　　隔天早上，小男孩把廿五个士兵从盒子里拿出来放在窗边。窗户是开着的，而黑狗靠窗户很近。小锡士兵没有去看这只狗。
　　那时风很大，突然一阵强风把小锡士兵吹到窗台上。风刮得更大了，他就从窗户掉了下去。

　　『哈哈！』黑狗狞笑着。

　　小锡士兵一路掉到坚硬的地上，他的头撞到路旁的地上。他的枪插入地下卡住了。他的一条腿悬在空中，使他动弹不得。
　　不久小男孩发现小锡士兵不在窗户旁边。他从窗户往马路看下去，但到处都看不到小锡士兵。

　　小男孩和一名仆人跑下楼到马路上。他们到处找寻小锡士兵。他们一遍又一遍地叫着他的名字，但是听不到任何响应。他们离他相当近，但却没有看到他。
　　于是小男孩和仆人回到屋子，而小锡士兵独自一个人在路旁。你认为他会哭吗？才不呢。他很勇敢，从来没哭泣过。