“Yes, folks around here thinks as how it is right pretty,” said Farmer Jason.  “But you haven’t seen the prettiest part yet—­that’s the waterfall.”

“Oh, that’s where I want to go!” cried Bunny.

“And I want to go out in a boat,” added Sue, renewing her first request.

“So do I!  And fish!” chimed in Bunny.

“Now, one thing at a time,” said Mr. Brown with a laugh.  “You are hardly here yet and you want to do half a dozen things.  Be patient.  We are going to stay all day, for we brought our lunch, and I think we shall have time for everything you want to do.”

“Yes, pitch right in and enjoy yourselves,” said Farmer Jason with a laugh.  “That’s what the lake’s here for.  A few of us farmers own it, and the churches in this neighborhood generally has picnics here.  I’ve got to drive over a few miles to see a man about some horses I want to buy, but I’ll stop back in plenty of time to take you home.”

The Browns and their lunch being safely unloaded from the wagon, including, of course, Sue’s Teddy bear, Farmer Jason drove off, while Dix and Splash scampered about in the woods on the shore of the lake and went swimming, something which Bunny and Sue wanted to do at once.

“I think it is a little cool,” said Mother Brown.  “Besides, I didn’t bring your bathing suits.  I guess you can get along without a swim to-day.”

Indeed there was enough else to do at Blue Lake, as the children very soon found out.  Of course it was not the first time they had been at a lake in the woods, but there seemed to be something new about this place.

Perhaps the trees were greener.  Certainly the lake seemed of a deeper blue than any the children had seen before.  They ran up and down the pebbly shore, threw stones into the water to watch them sink, after sending out a lot of rings that made little waves on the beach.  They tossed sticks into the water, which the dogs were eager to swim out for and bring back.  Then Bunny had an idea.

“Sue, let’s go in wading!” he cried.

“Oh, yes, let’s!” she agreed instantly; and without saying anything to their father or mother about it the two took off their shoes and stockings and were walking about in the shallow water near the shore.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown, with Uncle Tad, were sitting in the shade, looking out over the beautiful lake.  They were glad they had come on the little excursion, and the trouble of the broken spring of the automobile seemed turned into something good now.

“For,” said Mrs. Brown, “it has given us a chance to camp out and to see this lake, and I would not have missed this sight for a great deal.”

“Nor I, either,” said her husband.  “But suppose we go to take a look at the waterfall before lunch.  I know I’ll want to take a nap after I eat, and then it will soon be time for Mr. Jason to come back for us, so if we don’t go now we may miss it.”