_"Jump, jump, jump!"_ Mr. Bear repeated very sternly.

Still Cuffy did not jump. He was so afraid of that rushing water!

Then Mr. Bear became very, very angry. He gave a great roar and plunged
into the icy water. With a few strong strokes--for Mr. Bear was a fine
swimmer--he reached the middle of the river. And as he swam close up to
Cuffy he reached out and gave that naughty, frightened little bear a
shove that sent him flying into the stream.

Cuffy started to scream. But his shriek was cut off short as he sank,
head and all, into the cold, cold river. In another moment his nose came
up out of the water. It was only an instant, but to Cuffy it seemed a
long, long time before he could breathe again. And now, to his great
surprise, he found that he was swimming as well as his father.

Now, little bears are different from little boys and girls. They don't
have to _learn_ to swim. Cuffy didn't know it. But his father did. That
was why Mr. Bear told him to jump. He knew that as soon as Cuffy found
himself in the water he could swim as well as anybody.

In another minute Cuffy and his father were safe on the bank, and in
another second after that they were running toward home as fast as Cuffy
could go, so they wouldn't take cold, you know.

Cuffy had to go to bed for the rest of the day, as a punishment. And as
he lay on his little bed he could hear his father and mother laughing in
the next room. He didn't see how they could laugh. But you know, Cuffy
didn't realize how funny he had looked, floating down the river on the