d not feel like playing. He was too much shocked by having been
buried in the sand.

"Now we're going to have some fun, Plush Bear!" cried Arthur the next
morning, as he took his toy from the closet. "We're going in swimming!"

"Swimming? Swimming?" repeated the Plush Bear to himself. "I wonder what
that means?"

If he had been a real bear he would have known, for real bears, that
live in the woods, are very fond of playing in the water. But, being
only a Santa Claus toy, the Plush Bear knew nothing of this.

A little later Arthur and Nettie were down on the sand in their bathing
suits. All along the beach were many other children and grown folk, too,
in their bathing suits. Nettie carried her Rag Doll and Arthur had his
Plush Bear.

"Oh, Arthur! you aren't going to take your toy into the _water_ with
you, are you?" asked his mother.

"No'm," the little fat boy answered. "I'm just going to play with him on
the sand till Daddy comes to teach me to swim. And I'm not going to put
my Bear in a hole, either!"

"I'm glad of that, anyhow," thought the Plush Bear, who heard all that
was said. "Once in a sand hole is enough for me."

Arthur's father was going to teach the little fat boy to swim, and while
waiting for Daddy, Arthur played about on the sand with the Plush Bear,
as Nettie played with her Rag Doll.

Now and then Arthur, with the Plush Bear in his arms, would wade out a
little way into the water, and he would laugh, and run back, as the
incoming tide would send a wave over his bare toes.

"Be careful, Sonny!" called his mother, as she watched him. "The waves
are getting higher and higher. I wish your father would come and give
you your swimming lesson."

"Oh, I'm having fun!" laughed the fat boy. "My Plush Bear likes me to
carry him out, but I won't let him fall in the ocean."

Once more the little fat boy started to wade down the beach. Nettie had
gone back to sit with her mother and, for a moment, Arthur was all by
himself. Except, of course, he had the Plush Bear with him.

"Look and see how big the ocean is, Mr. Bear," said Arthur, holding his
toy up above the waves. And just then a bigger wave than any that had
yet rolled up the beach broke right at Arthur's feet.

In an instant the big wave had knocked the little fellow down. Arthur
gave a scream, and his father, who had just arrived in his bathing suit,
ran to get his little boy. Arthur had let go the Plush Bear when the
wave knocked him down.