One day, when Laddie and Russ had gone with their father for a row in the boat, Mrs. Bunker, who was in the house with Grandma Bell helping her sew, said to Rose: "You might take the smaller children down to the woods by the lake and play there. It's cool and shady, and you may take some cookies, or other little lunch with you, and have a sort of picnic." "And may we take Muffin?" asked Vi. "Yes, take Muffin," said Grandma Bell, for the maltese cat liked to be with the children as much as they liked to have her. Zip, the dog, had gone off with Tom Hardy. Grandma Bell put up a lunch for the children, and then Rose led them down to the shady shore of the lake, where they were to have some fun. "I'm going to make a dress out of green leaves for my doll," said Vi. "And I'm going to make a new bathing suit for my rubber doll," said Rose. "What are you two going to do?" and she looked at Margy and Mun Bun, who were toddling along hand-in-hand. "We's goin' in swimming'," said Mun Bun. "He means wading with his shoes and stockings off," said Vi. "He asked mother if he could, and she said yes." "Did she say Margy could, too?" asked Rose. "Yes. Both of 'em." Soon the two smaller children were paddling about in the water near the shore of the lake, while Rose and Vi sat under the shade of trees, not far away, and sewed. The two older girls were trying on their dolls' dresses when, all of a sudden, Mun Bun came running up from the lake, his eyes big with wonder, and after him ran Margy. "Oh, I saw it! I saw it!" cried Mun Bun. "It's a great big bear! He came right up out of the lake! Oh, come and look, Rose!" and he ran to take his sister's hand, while Margy hid behind Violet. "What is it, Mun Bun?" asked Rose. "Oh, I saw something big--an animal--I--I guess it's a bear--come up out of the lake!" cried the little fellow. "Come and look!" CHAPTER XVII A RED COAT When Mun Bun had said that a bear had come up out of the lake, at first Rose felt she was going to be frightened, but when she saw that her littlest brother and sister were also afraid, Rose made up her mind that she must be brave. She looked at Vi, and Vi was a little frightened, too, but not as much so as Mun Bun and Margy. "What was it you saw, Mun?" asked Vi, even now not able to stop asking questions. "Where was it?" "It was a big bear, I guess," answered the little fellow. "Pooh!" cried Rose, in a voice she tried to make sound brave. "There aren't any bears in these woods. Grandma Bell said so." "Well, anyhow, it was a--a _something_!" said Mun Bun. "It came up out of the water and it made a big splash." "It splashed water on me," said Margy. "What did you think it was?" asked Vi. "Maybe--maybe a--a elephant," replied the little girl. "It had a big long tail, anyhow." "Then it couldn't be a elephant," declared Rose. "Why not?" Vi wanted to know. "Because elephants have little, short tails. I saw 'em in the circus."