rds. They came to her like in
a dream; it was as though sentence had been passed upon her.

So she was to die? She had thought so herself, but now a messenger of
Death was saying so.

Well, she would die. She could keep up no longer. Her father was dead,
and her mother was dead, now she was going to die. A cruel thought
flitted through her dull brain. She wondered why she could not have died
with them rather than in a ditch like a poor animal.

She tried to make a last effort to get to the wood where she could find
a spot to lie down for her last sleep, somewhere away from the road. She
managed to drag herself into the wood, and there she found a little
grassy spot where violets were growing. She laid down under a large
tree, her head on her arm, just as she did at night when she went to
sleep.

CHAPTER VI

THE RESCUE

Something warm passing over her face made her open her eyes. Dimly she
saw a large velvety head bending over her. In terror she tried to throw
herself on one side, but a big tongue licked her cheek and held her to
the grass. So quickly had this happened that she had not had time to
recognize the big velvety head which belonged to a donkey, but while the
great tongue continued to lick her face and hands she was able to look
up at it.

Palikare! It was dear, dear Palikare! She threw her arms around her
donkey's neck and burst into tears.

"My darling, dear, darling Palikare," she murmured.

When he heard his name he stopped licking her and lifting his head he
sent forth five or six triumphant brays of happiness. Then, as though
that was not enough to express his contentment, he let out five or six
more, but not quite so loud.

Perrine then noticed that he was without a harness or a rope.

While she stroked him with her hand and he bent his long ears down to
her, she heard a hoarse voice calling:

"What yer found, old chap? I'll be there in a minute. I'm comin', old
boy."

[Illustration: SOMETHING WARM PASSING OVER HER FACE MADE HER OPEN HER
EYES.]

There was a quick step on the road, and Perrine saw what appeared to be
a man dressed in a smock and wearing a leather hat and with a pipe in
his mouth.

"Hi, kid, what yer doin' with my donkey?" he cried, without taking the
pipe from his lip.

Then Perrine saw that it was the rag woman to whom she had sold Palikare
at the Horse Market. The woman did not recognize her at first. She
stared hard at her for a moment.

"Sure I've seen