t the
animals went to sleep.

Joe was quite surprised when, the next morning, he was told what had
happened. And when the plumber came to fix the broken pipe Joe showed
the man the Nodding Donkey who had first given warning of the flood.

"He is a fine toy!" said the plumber.

After this Joe's Nodding Donkey had many adventures in his new home. I
wish I had room to tell you all of them, but I can only mention a few.

The weather grew colder and colder, and some days many snowflakes fell.
The Donkey, looking out of the window, saw them, and he thought of Santa
Claus and North Pole Land.

Joe was not as lively as he had been that day he went to Mr. Mugg's
store and bought the toy. There were days when Joe never took the
Nodding Donkey off the shelf at all. The wooden toy just had to stay
there, while Joe lay on a couch near the window and looked out.

"This is too bad!" thought the Donkey. "Joe ought to run about and play
like Arnold and Sidney. They have lots of fun in the snow, and they take
out the Calico Clown and the Bold Tin Soldier, too. I wish Joe would
take me out. I don't mind the cold of the snow as much as I minded the
cold water."

But Joe seemed to have forgotten about his Nodding Donkey. The toy stood
on a shelf over the couch where the lame boy lay. Once in a while Joe
would ask his mother to hand him down the Donkey, but more often the
lame boy would lie with his eyes closed, doing nothing.

Then, one day, a sad accident happened. Mrs. Richmond was upstairs,
getting Joe's bed ready for him. Though it was not yet night, he said he
felt so tired he thought he would go to bed. On the shelf over his head
was the Nodding Donkey.

Suddenly, in through a kitchen window that had been left open came
Frisky, the Chattering Squirrel. Over the floor scampered the lively
little chap, and he gave a sort of whistle at Joe.

"Oh, hello, Frisky!" said the lame boy, opening his eyes. "I'm glad you
came in!"

Of course Frisky could not say so in boy language, but he, too, was glad
to see Joe.

"Come here, Frisky!" called Joe, and he held out his hand.

"I guess he has some nuts for me," thought the squirrel, and he was
right. In one pocket Joe had some nuts, and now he held these out to his
little live pet.

Frisky took a nut in his paw, which was almost like a hand, and then, as
squirrels often do, he looked for a high place on which he might perch
himself to eat. Frisky saw the shelf over Joe's couch, th