"Why not? Who will stop me?" asked the bad Goat, stamping his foot.

"I will!" cried the brave Monkey on a Stick. "Here! You get out of this tent!" and the Monkey stood straight up on his stick and looked with both eyes at the goat.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Monkey Protects Candy Rabbit.

_Page 106_]

CHAPTER X

MONKEY IN A SHOW

The bad Goat walked closer and closer to the Candy Rabbit. And that poor Bunny toy was so frightened that he did not think of jumping out of the way.

"I'm going to get sweetness off your ears," said the Goat, teasing.

"Oh, if you bite my ears I can't be in the show!" said the poor Rabbit.

The Monkey climbed higher and higher on his stick, after he had said he would stop the Goat from eating the Candy Rabbit. And now, just as the Goat was going to take the Bunny up from the box, the Monkey suddenly gave a jump! Oh, such a jump!

Off his stick he jumped, and he landed right on the Goat's back. With his hands the Monkey began to pull the Goat's hair.

He even reached around and pulled the Goat's whiskers, the Monkey did.

"Baa-a-a-a-a!" bleated the Goat. "Stop, Monkey! You're hurting me!

You're pulling my hair!"

"Then get out of this tent and leave the Candy Rabbit alone!" shouted the Monkey.

"No! I want sweet stuff!" bleated the bad Goat.

Then the Monkey jumped off the Goat's back, and, catching up the stick, on which he climbed to the top when the string was pulled, the Monkey began hitting the Goat over the nose with it.

"Oh, my nose! My soft and tender nose!" bleated the Goat, as he ran out of the tent.

"Thank you, so much, for saving me," said the Rabbit to the Monkey, as the likely chap climbed back on his stick.

"I am very glad I could help you," said the Monkey. "I guess that Goat won't come back in a hurry!"

And as the Groat ran out of the tent, the children, bringing up their other toys to have the show, saw him.

"Oh, look at the big sheep!" cried Madeline.

"That isn't a sheep, it's a goat," said her brother.

"Oh, maybe he ate my Candy Rabbit!" cried the little girl. "I must go and look."

She and the other children hurried into the tent. There were the Monkey and the Rabbit safe together. But the children did not know what a narrow escape the Rabbit had had.

By this time Arnold, with the help of the other boys, had brought over his Bold Tin Soldier and the other men in the army company; d.i.c.k had brought his White Rocking Horse; and Dorothy's Sawdust Doll and Mirabell's Lamb on Wheels were also in the tent. Of course Herbert's Monkey and Madeline's Candy Rabbit were the first to be in the show.

"Now the performance is going to start!" cried Herbert, when the brothers and sisters were seated on the benches, which were made from the boxes Patrick, the gardener, had given d.i.c.k. "The show is going to start! All ready!"

Besides the six children mentioned there were others who lived on the same street with these six friends. These children had all come to the show. The boys and girls brought two pins to get in. Those who brought toy animals to act in the show did not have to bring any pins to come in.

"The first act in the show!" called Herbert, who was the ringmaster, "will be Mr. d.i.c.k riding on his White Rocking Horse! Ladies and Gentlemen, see Mr. d.i.c.k!"

"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!" cried the children, clapping their hands.

d.i.c.k drew his horse out into the middle of the tent. Of course if the Rocking Horse had been there alone he could have trotted out by himself.

But, as it was, d.i.c.k had to drag him.

Then d.i.c.k climbed on the back of his white steed, took hold of the reins, and cried: "Gid-dap!"

Back and forth rocked d.i.c.k on his Horse, and, as I have told you in the book about this toy, the Horse could move along whenever any one was on his back. He moved just as a rocking chair moves.

Across the middle of the tent rode d.i.c.k on his Rocking Horse. The little chap pretended he was a cowboy, and swung his cap around his head, and he even made believe la.s.so wild bulls with a piece of clothesline.

"Bang! Bang!" cried d.i.c.k, shooting make-believe pistols the way real cowboys do.

"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!" cried all the children, for they liked to see d.i.c.k ride the White Rocking Horse.

"What's next, Herbert?" asked Madeline.

"Hush, you mustn't talk in the show," cautioned her brother. "The ringmaster is the only one who can talk, and I'm him. The next part of the show is the dance of the Sawdust Doll."

This was Dorothy's chance, and she came out with her toy. And then and there the Sawdust Doll did a funny little dance while Mirabell played on a mouth organ. Of course Dorothy had to hold the Doll and dance around with her, but it was as good as if the Doll had done it herself, and the boys and girls clapped their hands.

"Isn't this a wonderful show?" whispered the Sawdust Doll to the Monkey, when she had a chance, as the children crowded down to one end of the tent to get some cookies Herbert's mother brought out to them.

"Yes, you did your part very well," whispered back the Monkey. "Do you think I shall get a chance to do any of my tricks?"

"Oh, yes," answered the Doll. "I'm sure you're going to be the best part of the show."

When the cookies were eaten, Herbert again took the part of ringmaster.

"The next thing in the show will be a fight with the Tin Soldiers," said Herbert. "Mr. d.i.c.k will take half of them and Mr. Arnold will take the other half, and there will be a battle right here in the tent."

d.i.c.k and Arnold divided the Tin Soldiers between them, and set them in two armies on one of the big box tops. Then the tin fighters were moved backward and forward, just as in real battle.

"Bang! Bang!" Arnold would shout. "Bang! Bang!" d.i.c.k would answer, and so the make-believe guns were fired. The Bold Tin Soldier Captain was moved to and fro, and so were the privates, the Corporal and the Sergeant.

"Now the fight is over," said Herbert, after a while. "We'll make believe both sides won, 'cause it will be nicer that way. And you can take the soldiers away, Arnold, 'cause next is going to be a race between the Candy Rabbit and the Lamb on Wheels."

"Oh, my Rabbit can't race with the Lamb!" objected Madeline. "The Lamb is too big."