THE MATING OF BROWNIE 177 
there was always mother’s back, or father’s back, 
to climb upon for a rest, while the amiable parent 
did the swimming. 
No doubt when you were a boy you “ went in ” 
at the old swimming hole, and you like to think 
about it now, recalling those happy days and be- 
lieving that nobody ever had such a good time. 
But Brownie and his brother and sister had just 
as good a time, if not a better one. They had 
just as good a time in the water and on the bank. 
They could go in before breakfast, if they liked. 
They could stay in as long as they pleased. They 
didn’t have any shirts to take off, nor stockings to 
pull on over wet, sandy feet (usually causing a 
rent or a dropped stitch and later parental 
wrath). ‘They could dive without getting water 
in their noses, and stay under indefinitely without 
getting ringing in the ears and suffocation. They 
could see under water without making their eyes 
smart, too, and if they got hungry they could 
chase and catch a fish. 
A modified form of water polo was one of their 
favorite pastimes, which frequently was con- 
verted into football on top of the bank. They, 
