The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride
Page 4
While Chief Bruno led Ed Hooper to the squad car, Farmer Ben busied himself tightening the loose cart wheel. Soon the hayride was back in action. It finished not only that first run without a mishap, but many more before the night was through.
Chapter 13
Business or Revenge?
The Halloween Festival had been a huge success, and now trick-or-treating was only a few hours away. You’d think that Brother and Sister Bear would be on top of the world.
But they weren’t. As the afternoon wore on, they stayed in their room talking about the trick that Ferdy and Trudy had played on Farmer Ben. Had it been the right thing to do? Brother and Sister weren’t so sure. Mama and Papa had taught them to tell the truth, especially to their elders.
Finally, they decided they should tell Mama what had happened. They went downstairs and found her in the living room, reading a magazine.
“Hmm,” said Mama when the cubs had finished telling the story of the amazing hologram “ghosts.” “I see why you’re worried about it. Ordinarily, pretending to be someone’s ancestors would be cruel.”
“But what about this time?” asked Sister.
“Well, let’s think it through,” said Mama. “Farmer Ben was about to sell his farm, and the Halloween Festival would save it. Ben wanted very much to keep the farm. The only thing that stood in his way was his belief that his ancestors would disapprove of the festival. If Ferdy could persuade Farmer Ben that his ancestors approved of the festival, Ben would save his farm without feeling as if he had gone against the wishes of his ancestors. Now, what do you think was right, cubs?”
Sister didn’t have to think long. “When you put it that way, Mama,” she said, “it sounds like Ferdy and Trudy did the right thing.”
“I agree,” said Brother.
“As a matter of fact,” said Mama, “so do I.”
Just then Papa came bursting through the front door with the afternoon paper. “Look at this!” he said, holding up the paper. The front-page headline read: SOOPER-DOOPER MARKET HAS NEW OWNERS.
Papa read the article aloud. “‘Ed Hooper, faced with lawyers’ bills, fines, and probably jail time, has sold Hooper’s Sooper-Dooper Market, located on Bear Country Highway near Birder’s Woods. The new owners are the former owners of five Beartown grocery stores that closed recently. They have announced that they will immediately lower the prices they charge their customers. At the same time, they will increase the prices they pay local farmers for their goods.’”
“Yay!” cried Sister. “That solves all of Farmer Ben’s problems!”
“Wait, there’s more,” said Papa, running a finger down the column of newsprint. “‘The Big Bear City Police reported this morning that a worker at Big Bear University’s Farm Science Laboratory has admitted that Ed Hooper paid him to steal several test tubes containing pumpkin blight. The results of tests on Farmer Ben’s pumpkins have just been announced. They show that the blight that attacked Ben’s pumpkin patch is exactly the same kind that Ed Hooper got from the Farm Science Laboratory.’”
“Outta sight!” shouted Brother, pumping a fist in the air. “They got Hooper for the pumpkin-blight caper!”
Papa put down the paper and shook his head. “There’s one thing about all this I just don’t understand,” he said. “Ed Hooper could have run Farmer Ben’s Market out of business by lowering his prices. Sure, he would have lost money for a few weeks, but it would have been a lot safer than damaging Ben’s crops. Same thing with the Halloween Festival. Hooper didn’t have to ruin it. All he had to do was wait until Farmer Ben’s Market got going again, then run him out of business by lowering prices. But it seems that Hooper didn’t just want to run Ben out of business. He wanted to embarrass him. He wanted to destroy Ben’s reputation, and he wanted to be there to watch it happen. It wasn’t just business. It was personal. I wonder why.”
No sooner had Brother started thinking about Papa’s question than a picture floated into his mind’s eye. It was a picture of a terrified Ed Hooper running wildly through Farmer Ben’s cow pasture, stepping in cow pies, with Ben chasing him.
“No need to wonder, Papa,” said Brother with a grin. “I think I know the answer.”
About the Authors
Stan and Jan Berenstain began writing the Berenstain Bears series in 1962, with The Big Honey Hunt. Since then, more than 250 Berenstain Bears books have been published and sales of the series are nearing 300 million. Stan and Jan have left behind a legacy of arguably the best-selling children’s book series ever. Making the books has long been a family affair, with son Mike Berenstain writing and illustrating new stories about everyone’s favorite bear family. You can visit the Berenstains online at www.berenstainbears.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.
• Chapter 1 •
“I Say, Young Chaps! I Say!”
The Bear Scouts were headed for their secret chicken coop clubhouse at the far edge of Farmer Ben’s farm. They usually went across Ben’s cow pasture. But it was such a nice day they decided to take the long-cut around Squire Grizzly’s estate.
The squire was the richest bear in Bear Country, and his estate looked the part. It was a beautiful place, with lovely gardens, handsome statues, and sparkling fountains. And, of course, there was the great mansion itself.
As the scouts passed the long curving driveway, they heard someone calling.
“I say, young chaps! I say!”
The voice was familiar, but they couldn’t place it until they turned and saw Greeves, the squire’s butler. He was running down the driveway, waving and shouting. But Greeves wasn’t built for running. His big belly was covering at least as much distance bouncing up and down as its owner was moving forward.
“I—I—say, young chaps! I—I—say!” called Greeves. He was almost out of breath.
“Come on!” said Brother. “Let’s meet him halfway. Greeves isn’t built for that kind of work.”
The scouts changed course and zipped up the driveway. When Greeves saw them coming, he stopped and sat on the curb.
He was still trying to catch his breath when the scouts reached him.
“Easy, Greeves, easy,” said Brother.
“It’s okay,” said Sister. “Just wait till you catch your breath.” Scouts Lizzy and Fred nodded in agreement.
“Er, what did you want to see us about, Greeves?” asked Brother.
“Oh, it’s not I who wishes to see you, young sir,” said Greeves. “It’s Lady Grizzly who wishes to see you.”
The scouts looked at each other. Then they looked back at Greeves, who had stood up and was looking almost like his dignified self again.
“Lady Grizzly wants to see us?” said Brother.
The scouts did quite a lot of face-making and shrugging as they followed Greeves up the driveway to the massive front doors of the mansion. What could Lady Grizzly possibly want with them?
• Chapter 2 •
Trouble at the Bearsonian?
The Bear Scouts had been inside Grizzly Mansion before. They had come with Papa Q. Bear, Brother and Sister’s dad. Papa was just about the finest furniture- and cabinetmaker in Beartown. He did a lot of work for the squire—mostly on Lady Grizzly’s collection of priceless antiques. That’s how the scouts knew Greeves. They had come with Papa on pickups and deliveries. But they had never come in the front door before. Nor had they ever met Lady Grizzly face-to-face.
The scouts followed Greeves into the entrance hall. While they gawked at the great chandelier and the portraits of Grizzly ancestors, Greeves opened the double doors that led to the living room. Then he stood just inside them the way butlers do in the movies and said, “The Bear Scouts to see you, mum.” The scouts figured they were supposed to go in, so they did.
Lady Grizzly greeted them warmly. “So good to see you,” she said. She shook hands with each scout. “Greeves,” she said. “Please send Millie in with the tea things.
“Be seated, my dears,” continued Lady Grizzly, pointing to an antique table surrounded by five antique chairs. “Ah, yes. Here’s Millie with the tea things.”
Millie set a large silver tray on the table. There were fancy china cups and saucers, a silver teapot, and a stack of dessert dishes on the tray. At its center was a dish of tea cakes. They were frosted with pink, white, and chocolate icing. Atop each cake was a nutmeat. There were almonds on the pink ones, walnuts on the white ones, and pecans on the chocolate ones. They looked delicious.
“Oh, dear,” said Lady Grizzly as she began to pour. “It just occurred to me. You might prefer milk.”
“That’s okay, ma’am,” said Brother. “We’re all allowed to drink tea on special occasions.”
“Would you prefer lemon or sugar with your tea?” As the scouts said which, Lady Grizzly placed a wedge of lemon on a saucer or plunked a sugar cube into a cup.
The scouts were out of their minds with curiosity about why Lady Grizzly wanted to see them.
“Er, Lady Grizzly,” said Brother, “was there something special you wanted to see us about?”
“Oh, yes. Something very special indeed,” said Lady Grizzly. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s my understanding that you are friendly with Professor Actual Factual, director of the Bearsonian Institution.”
“That’s right,” said Brother.
“And that you are quite fond of him.”
“Quite fond,” said Brother.
“And,” continued Lady Grizzly, “you would be willing to help him in any way you could?”
“Oh, yes,” said Brother. “We’d do just about anything to help the professor.”
“Good. Then it’s settled,” said Lady Grizzly. “You’re to report to the Bearsonian as junior docents tomorrow morning.”
“Junior who-cents?” said Sister.
“The Bearsonian opens at nine. I’ll pick you up in my limo at eight-thirty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve things to attend to.”
The scouts had all kinds of questions. But their mouths were so full of pink, white, and chocolate cake, they couldn’t ask them.
“Greeves,” said Lady Grizzly. “Would you please see our friends out?”
Before the scouts quite knew what was happening, that’s where they were: out.
“Docent?” said Brother. “What the heck’s a docent?”
“Docent,” said Fred, who read the dictionary just for fun, “pronounced DÔ-sent: A guide or lecturer at a museum or university.”
“Does anybody have any idea what’s going on with Lady Grizzly?” asked Brother.
“Knock-knock,” said Sister.
“Who’s there?” said Lizzy.
“Docent,” said Sister.
“Docent who?” said Fred.
“I docent think Lady Grizzly is telling us everything she knows,” said Sister.
As the scouts left the Grizzly estate, they were convinced of two things. One, something mysterious was going on at the Bearsonian. And two, they’d better show up at Eagle Road the next morning and find out what the heck it was.
Copyright
The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride
Copyright © 1997 by Berenstain Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
ISBN 978-0-06-218857-1
EPub Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780062188571
12 13 14 15 16 XX/XX 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Originally published in 1997 by Random House, Inc.
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