The Berenstain Bears in the Wax Museum Read Free

stop this Madame Bearsaud from completing her infernal project!”

    Squire Grizzly, sitting behind his big wooden desk, shrugged and shook his head. “But I don’t see what we can do about it, dear,” he said. “After all, the zoning board has already voted—”
    â€œNonsense!” snapped Lady Grizzly. “The zoning board, as you well know, is perfectly free to change its vote within a month if it sees fit. And to have it do just that, I shall organize an anti-Madame Bearsaud campaign the likes of which our sleepy little town has never seen!”
    â€œBut, dear,” said the squire, “think of the boost the new center will give to the Beartown businesses that I own. Madame Bearsaud’s will put Beartown on the map. Folks from all over Bear Country will flock to town, and Madame Bearsaud’s theme restaurant won’t even begin to be able to serve all of them. The overflow will wind up in my Burger Bear and my Pizza Shack. And they’ll wind up shopping in Grizzworth’s, my five-and-dime store, and at 8-Twelve, my convenience store. Furthermore, Madame Bearsaud has taken out a handsome loan from my bank, Great Grizzly National, to finance her project, and the interest she pays on that loan will provide us with a steady stream of money for years and years to come—”
    â€œNot another word!” shouted Lady Grizzly. “Money, money, money! Is that all you care about in life?”
    The squire was silent for a moment.
    â€œWell?” prodded his wife.
    â€œHold on,” mumbled the squire. “I’m thinking it over …”
    â€œHumph!” said Lady Grizzly, stalking from the room. “I’ve heard quite enough from you!”
    Lady Grizzly marched into the drawing room and went straight to the telephone. First she’d call Mrs. Ben, then Mrs. Honeypot. And when they got through with Farmer Ben and Mayor Honeypot, those two would wish they’d never heard of the Beartown zoning board!

Chapter 5
    ABATE vs. BAD?
    Later that evening, the phone rang in the Bears’ living room, where the Bear family was watching television. Mama answered. “Oh, hello, Lady Grizzly,” she said. “Oh, no, you’re not interrupting anything. We were just watching Bear Country’s Funniest Home Videos , but it’s a rerun. Yes … uh-huh … I see … but before you go any further, Lady Grizzly, I should tell you that Papa and I are not really against the new entertainment center. Thank you, anyway. That’s quite all right. Goodbye.”
    Mama replaced the receiver and looked up with a sly smile. “Well,” she said, “what did I tell you? Lady Grizzly has already organized an anti—Madame Bearsaud campaign. Her new group is called ABATE. It stands for All Bears Against Tacky Entertainment.”
    â€œHumph!” said Papa. “She oughta call it ABAF. All Bears Against Fun!”
    â€œRight on!” cried Brother and Sister in unison.
    â€œNot so fast, you three,” said Mama. “Lady Grizzly is just worried about the effect of the new center on cubs.”
    â€œBaloney!” said Papa. “She’s just worried about her own stuck-up ideas about what’s in good taste and what isn’t!”
    â€œWell,” said Mama, “that may be part of it, too. But it isn’t just Lady Grizzly now. Mrs. Ben and Mrs. Honeypot have already joined ABATE. And you know what that means …”
    â€œOh, no!” groaned Papa. “That means they’re gonna try to get Ben and the mayor to change their votes … Hmm. I’m not worried about the mayor. He’ll do whatever he thinks will get him re-elected, no matter what Mrs. Honeypot thinks. But Farmer Ben—that’s a different story altogether. He’s liable to crack under the pressure …”
    â€œAnd you know what Mrs. Ben is like when she gets a bee in her bonnet,” said Brother.