.

"Oh, Kit," she said, "mother told you not to fall into the water!"

"'T-t-t-was all your fault," roared Kit. "Y-y-you began it! Anyway,
where is your new wooden shoe?"

"Where are both of yours?" screamed Kat.

Sure enough, where were they? No one had thought about shoes, because
they were thinking so hard about Kit.

They ran to the end of the pier and looked. There was Kat's shoe
sailing away toward England like a little boat! Kit's were still
bobbing about in the water near the pier.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" shrieked Kat; but the tide was going out and carrying
her shoe farther away every minute. They could not get it; but
grandfather reached down with his rod and fished out both of Kit's
shoes. Then Kat took off her other one and her stockings, and they all
three went back to the beach.

_On the Beach_

Grandfather and Kat covered Kit up with sand to keep him warm while
his clothes were drying. Then grandfather stuck the twins' fish-poles
up in the sand and tied the two lines together for a clothes-line,
and hung Kit's clothes up on it, and Kat put their three wooden shoes
in a row beside Kit.

Then they ate their luncheon of bread and butter, cheese and milk,
with some radishes from father's garden. It tasted good even if it was
sandy. After lunch grandfather said:

"It will never do to go home without any fish at all."

So by-and-by he went back to the pier and caught one while the twins
played in the sand. He put it in the lunch-basket to carry home.

Kat brought shells and pebbles to Kit, because he had to stay covered
up in the sand, and Kit built a play dyke all around himself with
them, and Kat dug a canal outside the dyke. Then she made sand-pies in
clam-shells and set them in a row in the sun to bake.

They played until the shadows of the dyke grew very long across the
sandy beach, and then grandfather said it was time to go home.

He helped Kit to dress, but Kit's clothes were still a little wet in
the thick parts. And Kat had to go barefooted and carry her one wooden
shoe.

They climbed the dyke and crossed the fields, and walked along the
road by the canal. The road shone, like a strip of yellow ribbon
across the green field. They walked quite slowly, for they were tired
and sleepy.

By-and-by Kit said, "I see our house"; and Kat said, "I see mother at
the gate."

Grandfather gave the fish he caught to Kit and Kat, and Vrouw Vedder
cooked it for their supper; and though it was not a ver