like
him.' 'I should soon prove the greater donkey of the two, if I allowed
myself to marry him,' I retorted."

"Was the donkey never claimed, Loretta?"

"Senor, you shall hear. To sum up the story, the donkey never was
claimed. We made every inquiry; we did all we could to find the owner;
it was in vain; he never turned up, and to this day the donkey remains
mine. People said he was a supernatural donkey, but of course I know
better. The next thing was, how to make him earn his living, for I was
determined never to part with him. Then the idea came to me to convey
people to Poblet. The story got known, and sometimes at the station
there would be quite a fight for Caro, as I called him. There is still.
It gave me a start, and now in that very stable I have six beautiful
donkeys that could not be equalled. And they all love me, and answer to
their names, and come when I call them. Whichever I call comes; the
others don't stir."

It was a singular but by no means impossible story. As H. C. had said,
there was a certain mesmeric influence about the woman to which the
sensitive animal world might very probably respond.

"And your lover? You did not take compassion upon him?"

"No, senor," laughed the woman, with a decided shake of the head; "but
one of my sisters did; the eldest, who had been the most angry with me.
And for the first six years they led a regular cat-and-dog life. Then he
tumbled over the bridge into the river and was nearly drowned. He was
saved, but his leg was broken and had to be taken off, and after that
somehow his temper improved. My sister laughs and says she loves him
better with his one leg than ever she did when he had two. She is
welcome to him."

"But you," we observed, feeling the question a delicate one, "why have
you never married? By your own confession you are twenty-eight."

The woman laughed and blushed. "The right man never came, senor, and I
was in no hurry. I was quite happy as I was. Five men in this town asked
me to marry them. I did not care for any of them. 'Will you love my
donkeys?' I said to each. Not one of them said Yes; so I said No to all
But now I have said Yes at last. And there he goes," she added.

A tall strong man with a plain but amiable and honest face crossed the
road, and catching sight of the donkey-woman sent her a beaming nod and
went on his way.

"You have chosen well, Loretta. He will make you a good husband."

"I think so," returned the woman, an