es.

The Nodding Donkey knew that something was wrong, but he did not
understand all that was happening. He had seen Joe taken away, and he
saw himself put in the closet with the Noah's Ark animals.

"What is the matter?" asked the Lion. "Is Joe tired of playing with you,
as he grew tired of us?"

"I hope not," said the Nodding Donkey sadly.

But as that day passed, and the next, the Nodding Donkey grew very
lonesome for Joe, for he had learned to love the little lame boy.

CHAPTER X

JOE CAN RUN

About a week after Joe had been taken to the hospital, where he had been
put in a little white bed, with a rosy-cheeked nurse to look after him,
there came a knock on the door of the house where Joe lived, and where
the Nodding Donkey also had his home.

"Is Joe here?" asked a little girl named Mirabell, who carried in her
arms a toy Lamb on Wheels.

"Joe? No, dear, he isn't here. He is in the hospital having his lame
legs fixed," answered Mrs. Richmond. "Didn't you hear about his going
away?"

"No," answered Mirabell, "I didn't. But Sidney said Joe had a Nodding
Donkey, and I brought my Lamb on Wheels to see the Donkey."

"That is very kind of you," said Mrs. Richmond. "Come in. We are quite
worried about Joe, and we hope he will get well and strong so he can run
about. But it will be some time yet before he comes from the hospital."

Mirabell entered the house with her Lamb on Wheels. The little girl
looked sad when she heard about Joe, but a smile came over her face when
she saw the Nodding Donkey, which Joe's mother brought from the closet.

"Oh, what a lovely Donkey!" cried Mirabell. "See, Lamb!" and she held up
her toy. "Meet Mr. Nodding Donkey!"

The Donkey nodded his head, but the Lamb could not do that. However, she
looked kindly at the nodding toy.

While Mirabell was playing with her Lamb and the Donkey there came
another knock on the door of Joe's house.

"It is Herbert with his Monkey on a Stick," said Mrs. Richmond. "Come
in," she added, as she opened the door.

"Is Joe back yet?" asked Herbert, after he had said "hello" to Mirabell
and put his Monkey toy on the table.

"No, Joe is still in the hospital," answered the lame boy's mother. "He
will be home in about three weeks, we hope. Here is his Nodding Donkey
toy."

"Oh, that's fine!" cried Herbert. "Arnold told me about it, and I wanted
to see it. My mother told me about Joe going to the hospital, and I came
to see how he was."