The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard by Stan Berenstain Page A

she’s not back from Big Bear City yet.”
    â€œBrother misses his girlfriend,” Sister explained.
    â€œI said cut it out, Sis!”
    Sister didn’t say another word. But Brother was in for more teasing when the cubs joined their friends in the schoolyard to wait for the morning bell to ring.
    â€œWhat are you looking for?” wondered Babs Bruno. Brother was staring off down the street in the direction of Grizzly Mansion.
    â€œNot what— who, ” said Sister.
    â€œYou mean Bonnie?” asked Barry Bruin.
    â€œBingo,” said Sister. She leaned over to Barry and whispered loudly, “ He misses his girlfriend .”
    â€œI heard that!” said Brother. The other cubs snickered. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he protested. “She’s my best friend. And that’s better than a girlfriend.”

    â€œOh, sure,” said Queenie McBear. “And a cheese sandwich is better than an ice cream sandwich.”
    â€œBonnie is not a cheese sandwich!” said Brother.
    â€œThen she must be an ice cream sandwich,” said Queenie.
    â€œIn a shiny wrapper!” added Barry. “Wow! Look at that! ”
    A gleaming silver car had just pulled up at the front gate. Bonnie was in the backseat, and one of Squire Grizzly’s chauffeurs was at the wheel.
    â€œIt’s a beauty!” said Barry, wide-eyed.
    Ferdy Factual was polishing his glasses with a monogrammed handkerchief. Now he put them back on, looked at the car, and frowned. “But that’s not one of Squire Grizzly’s Grizzillac limousines,” he said. “What kind of car is it, Barry?”
    Ferdy Factual, cub genius, asking Barry Bruin a question? It might have seemed odd if the other cubs hadn’t known them both so well. Ferdy was indeed a genius about math, science, geography, and lots of other subjects. But there were a few things he admitted knowing almost nothing about. Cars were one of them. He could describe in great detail the operation of the internal combustion engine under a car’s hood. But when it came to recognizing the year and make of the car itself, he was lost.
    Barry Bruin, on the other hand, knew a lot about cars. Not because he was a genius. Far from it. His friends liked to joke that Barry had asked his mom to sew nametags in all his clothes so that if he forgot his name he could look it up. But although he didn’t even know what the word “combustion” meant, Barry could recognize the year and make of any car from a hundred yards away. He had spent countless hours making miniature models of classic cars. And he owned the largest collection of classic-car collector’s cards in all Bear Country.

    â€œWhat is it?” said Barry in a shocked tone of voice. “You don’t recognize that? ”
    â€œDon’t be cute,” said Ferdy with a bored yawn. “Just tell us what it is.”
    â€œIt’s a 1927 Bearcedes touring car!” breathed Barry.
    â€œIs it an antique?” asked Lizzy.
    Barry laughed. “No, it’s a brand-new 1927 Bearcedes touring car. Of course it’s an antique!” He seemed pleased that someone else looked like a dummy for a change.
    â€œIt may be an antique,” said Cousin Fred, “but it’s in beautiful condition.”
    â€œSquire Grizzly has a collection of classic cars, and he keeps them all in beautiful condition,” said Barry. “I’ll bet he’s going to enter some of them in the classic car show this weekend.”
    Bonnie, who had just come skipping up, confirmed what Barry had just said. “Uncle’s going to put the Bearcedes and three other cars in the show,” she said. “He wants to win all three prizes, so he’s entering four cars just to make sure. One of them is in the shop right now. But it’ll be ready in plenty of time.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong with it?” asked Brother.
    â€œNot much,”