Day after day, the children struggled to learn to swim, but with rather poor success.

At last, they thought of trying light logs to keep them up.  This proved quite successful.  They placed the log across their chests, and under their armpits, and then made their hands and feet go.  This was quite like swimming.  After a time they tried it even in the deep water inside the boat house.

One day Beth ran down ahead of the others.  Don, for a wonder, was not with her that morning.  She thought she would have some fun all by herself.

Her log was in the boat house.  She fearlessly jumped into deep water with it, but somehow, she got beyond the range of the walk.  In trying to paddle back to it, her log slipped away from her.  Then she grew very much frightened.

It was a case of swim or sink.  Terrified as she was, she had presence of mind to keep her hands and feet going.  To her surprise, she did not sink.  She had only a little ways to go and made it without very much effort.

When the other children came, she was all excitement.

“Just see.  I can swim, I can swim.”

Beth hastened to show off her wonderful accomplishment.  She was disgusted when Harvey laughed at her.

“Why, Beth, you swim in regular dog fashion.  You claw the water just like Don.  You ought to go like this.”

She tried striking out with her arms as he bid, but could not swim that way.  Whereupon, she declared: 

“I like swimming dog fashion best.”

One evening Mr. Davenport came home and said: 

“Mary, how would you like to go down to the seashore for a week?”

“And take us?” exclaimed Beth.

Mr. Davenport was in a teasing mood.

“I will take Marian because she has been good, but as to you, I must find out first from mamma if any bad girl has been around here lately.  We can’t take bad girls with us.”

Beth held her breath for her mother’s answer.

“Well, James, for a wonder we have had an unusually good girl here for the past week.  If we go, she may go too.”

Beth danced a jig in the intensity of her joy.

“Where are we going, papa?”

“Down to Fort George Island, which is at the mouth of the St. Johns.  We will leave to-morrow morning.  Can you be ready by that time, Mary?”

“I guess so.”

Mrs. Davenport was accustomed to her husband’s desire to start at a moment’s notice.  He had made a like suggestion many times before.

At Beth’s earnest solicitation, she was allowed to take Don with her.

The next morning, when they boarded the boat for Fort George’s, Beth was very much surprised to behold Julia.

“Why, Julia, how nice of you to come down to see us off, but how did you know we were going?”

“I didn’t come to see you off; I’m going to Fort George, too.  Your papa was over last night and persuaded papa and mamma to go.”