r,
and the bear was right after him.

"Now I have you!" cried the bear. "You can't get across the river."

"Oh, can't I?" asked the rabbit. "Just you watch and see!"

So Uncle Wiggily threw his crutch and valise across the stream, and then
into it he jumped, and he swam just as Towser had taught him and he got
safely on the other side and so saved his life, for the bear couldn't swim
and Uncle Wiggily could. So you see it's a good thing to know how to swim,
and I hope all of you, who are big enough, know how to keep up in the
water.

Well, Uncle Wiggily got across to the other shore, and he looked back and
there that bear was raging and tearing around as mad as mad could be,
because the rabbit had gotten away from him. But I'm glad of it; aren't
you?

Now I have another story for you, and, in case my typewriter doesn't fall
in the lake and the fishes don't eat up the hair ribbon on it, I'll tell
you about Uncle Wiggily in the bear's den.

STORY XXII

UNCLE WIGGILY IN THE BEAR'S DEN

Well, here we are again, all ready for a story, I suppose, and I hope you
had a nice time at the surprise party. Let me see now, what shall I tell
you about? How would you like to hear about the old gentleman rabbit and
the toadstool?

Oh, my! I just happened to remember that I promised to write about Uncle
Wiggily getting into the bear's den, so of course I'll have to tell about
that first, and afterward I'll write the story about the toadstool. I'll
tell you this much, however, the toadstool story is very curious, if I do
say so myself.

Anyhow, Uncle Wiggily was hopping along one fine morning, following a
stormy night, and he was thinking about the swimming lesson he had had a
few days before.

"I wonder if I have forgotten how to move my legs, and go skimming through
the water?" he said to himself as he set down his valise, and leaned his
crutch against a prickly briar bush. "I must practice a little."

And the old gentleman rabbit did practice then and there, going through
all the motions of swimming, only he was on dry land, of course. Next he
twinkled his nose, like a star on a very hot night, when you drink iced
lemonade to keep cool, and then Uncle Wiggily hopped forward once more.

He hadn't gone very far before he noticed a grasshopper moving along so
swiftly that the old gentleman rabbit could hardly see the legs go
flip-flap. My, but that grasshopper did hippity-hop!

"Hold on there, if you please!" cal