Since Miss Sayer doesn’t know who you are, one of you can ask her a lot of questions while the other two of you look around. Peggy said she’s always copying other bears. Maybe the Herr Bear will turn up in Miss Sayer’s booth.”
Jessie looked at Henry through the eye openings of her costume. “I’d also like to find out if she took all that nice fleece that disappeared from the Firmans’ barn. Okay, bears, let’s go.” She took hold of Benny’s paw in one hand and Violet’s in the other.
“Oh, no!” Jessie said when she finally got a good look at Miss Sayer’s booth.
Violet touched Jessie’s arm with her paw. “What’s the matter?”
Jessie held out her paw. “Look! Those are copies of Peggy Bears.”
The Three Bears stared at the many bears on the shelves. Sure enough, there was a row of stuffed bears that looked almost the same as Peggy’s.
“They’re not as nice,” Violet whispered to Jessie. “Some of the stitching is loose. They’re not as plump, either.”
Jessie was mad. “So this is why she kept snooping around Doc Firman’s Toy Hospital and Woolly Farm!” she whispered to Benny and Violet. “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find the Herr Bear here. Maybe she plans to copy him, too.”
“Oh, hello, bears,” Miss Sayer cried in her own chirpy voice. “Please come visit my cubs—and my Chatter Bear, of course. I’ll take your picture with him.”
The Three Bears posed in front of Chatter Bear. Their bear faces were smiling, but their real faces were frowning underneath.
“I’ve never seen your bears before,” Jessie said in a deep voice she hoped Miss Sayer wouldn’t recognize. “Are they new?”
Miss Sayer brought over one of the fleecy bears, whose stuffing wasn’t quite tucked in. “Yes, they’re my new line of bears—the old-fashioned kind that don’t talk like my Chatter Bear here. Would you like to hold this one? It’s stuffed with real fleece from real sheep.”
Violet decided to learn more about Chatter Bear’s new voice. “I heard your talking bear when he was in Doctor Firman’s Toy Hospital. Didn’t he say a different message a few days ago?”
Miss Sayer waved off Violet’s question. “Oh, I’m just using him to get attention for my new bears. Everyone wanted to see a talking bear, but parents don’t seem to want to buy one for their children,” she said. “I’ve been told children like bears they can talk to, not the other way around. Is that true?”
Violet thought about Mister B. “Yes,” she said, so quietly Miss Sayer didn’t hear her. Not that it mattered, since she was already trying to interest another customer in her All-Natural Cubs.
With all the commotion going on with the Three Bears, Chatter Bear, and the new bears, Henry saw his chance. He squeezed himself into the booth. Bending down, he took a close look at some of Miss Sayer’s new bears on the bottom shelf. He even searched behind some of them. Maybe he would find one bear that wasn’t new—the one-of-a-kind Swiss Herr Bear. But Sayer’s All-Natural Cubs were brand-new, all-of-a-kind bears.
“Well, don’t you three bears want a few of my All-Natural Cubs to bring home?” Miss Sayer asked the Alden bears.
Benny couldn’t stop himself from speaking up. “We like Peggy Bears!” he said, so loudly his voice rose even louder than Chatter Bear’s.
Miss Sayer moved away. “Then I guess you’re not interested in anything new and exciting.” She turned to a child who had arrived with her mother. “Perhaps you are, young lady. Meet one of my new All-Natural Cubs,” Miss Sayer told the child. “Would you like to hold it?”
“The stuffing is coming out,” the little girl said. “It’s too skinny.”
Miss Sayer bustled around the booth. “Not to worry. I’ve had so much … uh … interest in my bears, I had to order more before they were quite done. Let me show you what I can do.”
Miss Sayer unlocked a small storage cabinet. She pulled out the
Jessie looked at Henry through the eye openings of her costume. “I’d also like to find out if she took all that nice fleece that disappeared from the Firmans’ barn. Okay, bears, let’s go.” She took hold of Benny’s paw in one hand and Violet’s in the other.
“Oh, no!” Jessie said when she finally got a good look at Miss Sayer’s booth.
Violet touched Jessie’s arm with her paw. “What’s the matter?”
Jessie held out her paw. “Look! Those are copies of Peggy Bears.”
The Three Bears stared at the many bears on the shelves. Sure enough, there was a row of stuffed bears that looked almost the same as Peggy’s.
“They’re not as nice,” Violet whispered to Jessie. “Some of the stitching is loose. They’re not as plump, either.”
Jessie was mad. “So this is why she kept snooping around Doc Firman’s Toy Hospital and Woolly Farm!” she whispered to Benny and Violet. “I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find the Herr Bear here. Maybe she plans to copy him, too.”
“Oh, hello, bears,” Miss Sayer cried in her own chirpy voice. “Please come visit my cubs—and my Chatter Bear, of course. I’ll take your picture with him.”
The Three Bears posed in front of Chatter Bear. Their bear faces were smiling, but their real faces were frowning underneath.
“I’ve never seen your bears before,” Jessie said in a deep voice she hoped Miss Sayer wouldn’t recognize. “Are they new?”
Miss Sayer brought over one of the fleecy bears, whose stuffing wasn’t quite tucked in. “Yes, they’re my new line of bears—the old-fashioned kind that don’t talk like my Chatter Bear here. Would you like to hold this one? It’s stuffed with real fleece from real sheep.”
Violet decided to learn more about Chatter Bear’s new voice. “I heard your talking bear when he was in Doctor Firman’s Toy Hospital. Didn’t he say a different message a few days ago?”
Miss Sayer waved off Violet’s question. “Oh, I’m just using him to get attention for my new bears. Everyone wanted to see a talking bear, but parents don’t seem to want to buy one for their children,” she said. “I’ve been told children like bears they can talk to, not the other way around. Is that true?”
Violet thought about Mister B. “Yes,” she said, so quietly Miss Sayer didn’t hear her. Not that it mattered, since she was already trying to interest another customer in her All-Natural Cubs.
With all the commotion going on with the Three Bears, Chatter Bear, and the new bears, Henry saw his chance. He squeezed himself into the booth. Bending down, he took a close look at some of Miss Sayer’s new bears on the bottom shelf. He even searched behind some of them. Maybe he would find one bear that wasn’t new—the one-of-a-kind Swiss Herr Bear. But Sayer’s All-Natural Cubs were brand-new, all-of-a-kind bears.
“Well, don’t you three bears want a few of my All-Natural Cubs to bring home?” Miss Sayer asked the Alden bears.
Benny couldn’t stop himself from speaking up. “We like Peggy Bears!” he said, so loudly his voice rose even louder than Chatter Bear’s.
Miss Sayer moved away. “Then I guess you’re not interested in anything new and exciting.” She turned to a child who had arrived with her mother. “Perhaps you are, young lady. Meet one of my new All-Natural Cubs,” Miss Sayer told the child. “Would you like to hold it?”
“The stuffing is coming out,” the little girl said. “It’s too skinny.”
Miss Sayer bustled around the booth. “Not to worry. I’ve had so much … uh … interest in my bears, I had to order more before they were quite done. Let me show you what I can do.”
Miss Sayer unlocked a small storage cabinet. She pulled out the
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