"He surely is a jolly chap!" cried Daddy Richmond, when he had taken up
the Donkey and looked him all over. "And now how are your legs?" he
asked Joe.

"They hurt some; but I don't mind them so much when I have my Donkey,"
was the answer.

After supper Joe again played with his toy, and, noticing that their son
was not listening, Mr. and Mrs. Richmond talked about him in low voices.

"He doesn't really seem to be much better," said the father sadly.

"No," agreed the mother. "I am afraid we shall have to let the doctor
break that one leg and set it over again. That may make our boy well."

"I hope so," said Mr. Richmond, and both he and his wife were sad as
they thought of the lame one.

But Joe was happier than he had been in some time, for he had his
Nodding Donkey to play with. When the time came to go to bed, Joe put
the Donkey away in the closet with the Noah's Ark, his toy train of
cars, the ball he tossed when his legs did not pain him too much, and
his other playthings.

"Well, how do you like it here?" asked the toy Fireman of the toy train,
when the house was all quiet and still and the toys were allowed to do
as they pleased.

"I think I shall like it very much," was the Donkey's answer.