The jamboree was so crowded, and the Aldens were so busy being bears, the last day arrived much too quickly.
“I finally finished sewing up Mister B. for the Best Bears Contest,” Violet said when the children met outside the Town Hall.
Benny was worried about something. “How can we eat at the Teddy Bears’ Picnic with our costumes on? The bear mouths are too small.”
Henry laughed. “Not small enough for you to stop talking, Benny. I guess the three of you can take turns being people again.”
“Peggy said it’s okay to be half bears and half people at the picnic with our bear heads off,” Jessie said. “She told me people like finding out who the Three Bears really are.”
“I’d like to find out who our suspects really are,” Jessie said. “I decided Miss Sayer isn’t one of them.”
The other children couldn’t see Violet’s thoughtful face under her costume. “I wish we could find out if Mrs. Keppel is really Elsa Berne. If she took Herr Bear, maybe she had a good reason.”
Henry noticed Professor Tweedy walking quickly in the Aldens’ direction. “What about him?” Henry asked. “We still don’t know why he’s been acting so strangely.”
“For someone who reads bear books, he doesn’t even seem to notice you’re the Three Bears,” Henry said when the professor passed by.
“I’m going to introduce myself,” Jessie decided. “Maybe we’ll get some clues from what he says.” Jessie stepped in front of the professor. “Hello. I’m Papa Bear from Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
This seemed to be a huge surprise to the professor. “Well, whoever put you in that costume should read a few different editions of the story. In the old books, the Three Bears do not grin like cartoon bears as you do in those costumes.” The professor walked away, leaving the Aldens to wonder about him.
Violet lifted her arm to check her watch, but of course it was hidden beneath her costume. “Henry, isn’t it almost time to show Mister B. to the judges? They’re going into the hall. That’s where Professor Tweedy went, too.”
Henry checked his watch. “Time to go, with or without the Herr Bear. I guess all we can do now is keep an eye out for Mrs. Keppel and Professor Tweedy, too.”
“Now Mister B. can keep two eyes out,” Benny reminded everyone.
Streams of teddy bear lovers made their way into the Old Mills Town Hall. They brought their beloved bears in wagons, baskets, baby carriers, and strollers. There were bears of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
“Psst—there’s Mrs. Keppel in front of the ladies’ room,” Jessie whispered to Violet. “She’s got a baby carriage. Let’s follow her. See you two later,” she told Henry and Benny.
Mrs. Keppel gave Violet and Jessie a big smile when she saw them in their bear suits. “Ah, two of the Three Bears,” she said to the girls, whom she didn’t recognize. “Where is Baby Bear?”
Jessie nodded in Benny’s direction. He was standing near the judges’ table with Henry and Mister B. “He’s over there.”
Mrs. Keppel tried to push her carriage into the ladies’ room when the security guard came by. “Sorry, no carriages in there, Mrs. Keppel. Don’t worry, it’s safe out here. I’ll be just down the hall.”
After the guard moved away, Jessie had an idea. “Would you like us to watch your carriage? After all, we’re bear parents, too.”
Mrs. Keppel laughed but hesitated. “Ja … I mean, yes. I shall be back within minutes.”
Within seconds, Jessie tugged at the baby blanket covering the carriage.
“Two bears!” she and Violet cried at the same time when they saw two nearly identical bears staring back—one with blue eyes and one with golden eyes.
Violet quickly covered the bears again. “You were right, Jessie,” she said. “Mrs. Keppel did take Herr Bear. I saw his eyes.”
Mrs. Keppel returned. “Danke. I mean, thank you,” she said. She pushed her carriage forward and walked off.
When the girls found Henry and Benny again, they had to wait to tell them their news. Grandfather was back and talking to Peggy, Doc, and Herr Bear’s owner, Mrs. Withers. Even Miss Sayer was there, standing next to Mr. Alden. As always, she was holding Chatter Bear. Jessie’s news would have to wait.
“Hi, Grandfather,” Jessie whispered. “It’s me under this costume, and Violet’s in that costume.” They took off the heads of their costumes so Grandfather could see their faces.
Grandfather hugged his plump, furry grand-bears. “You’ve been eating too many berries,” he said, chuckling until he saw some long faces. “Oh, my, I’m afraid my joke won’t cheer up this group. Doc already told me a valuable bear he was fixing for Mrs. Withers here was stolen from the toy hospital. Have you had any luck solving this mystery?”
“Follow me,” Jessie said, waving everyone toward the front of the hall.
“Something’s up,” Violet whispered to the boys.
When the Aldens came to the judges’ table, they were in for another surprise.
“Professor Tweedy!” Henry said. “What are you doing behind the judges’ table?”
Unlike the smiling judges at the table, the professor looked as if he were about to examine machines, not sweet bears. “As you may know, I am a history professor,” he explained. “I’ve been interested in historical bears since I wrote about President Theodore Roosevelt years ago.”
Benny smacked his furry forehead. “I know why! My kindergarten teacher said teddy bears were named after him, because he wouldn’t shoot a cub on a hunting trip. Neither would I.”
The Aldens thought they saw a smile cross Professor Tweedy’s face, but they couldn’t be sure. “That’s quite correct. Mr. Roosevelt was a very popular president, so some toy makers named their bears after him. Not that you’ll see a genuine teddy bear here. They are extremely rare, as I wrote in one of my articles on bears.”
Doc stepped forward to shake the professor’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me you were an expert? I would have given you the run of my collection of bear magazines and books.”
The professor looked over the top of his glasses at Doc. “Don’t mention it. I helped myself to your library. Here,” he said, opening his briefcase. “I borrowed these magazines. You can take them now. As for not telling anyone, I certainly didn’t want all these people with their bears following and pestering me. I’m only here to judge the antique bears—those of historical interest.”
That’s when Jessie made her move. “What about these? Are they of historical interest?” She slowly pulled away the baby blanket covering Mrs. Keppel’s bears.
“That’s my bear!” Mrs. Withers cried. “That woman stole my bear.”
Mrs. Keppel looked around at everyone. “I’m not ashamed at all that I took this bear. Look, Professor,” she said, handing over two yellowed sheets of paper. “You will find my childhood name listing me as the parent of Fraulein Bear. My dear brother Kurt’s name is on the Herr Bear birth certificate. The movers stole our bears when we had to leave our home in Switzerland. I have searched for my bear children for many years. Two years ago I found Fraulein. This week I found her twin, Herr Bear. I would have offered to buy him, but I don’t have the money. I wasn’t going to keep Herr Bear—I just wanted to have the two of them together for a short while. Herr Bear is all I have left to remind me of my dear brother.”
Doc stepped forward. “I’m sad to say, Mrs. Keppel, that Mrs. Withers purchased the Herr Bear at an auction of rare toys years ago. I believe, after all this time, you cannot really claim Herr Bear as your own.”
Mrs. Withers looked shocked. “I had no idea that the bear was stolen,” she said. “If I had known that there was someone who cared about it this much, I would have come looking for you a long time ago.”
“What are you saying, Mrs. Withers?” asked Henry.
“I’m saying that this bear belongs with the person who loves it the most,” said Mrs. Withers. “I have many more valuable bears in my collection. But it’s clear to me that no bear would be more valuable to Mrs. Keppel than the Herr Bear. I’d like you to have it,” she said, turning to Mrs. Keppel. “I only wish you had just told us all who you were to begin with.”
Mrs. Keppel looked like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Then she threw her arms around Mrs. Withers, crying tears of joy.
“Now, that’s a bear hug,” Benny said, grinning.
A few minutes later, the judges announced that it was time to judge the bears. They looked over table after table of bears and finally they made their decision.
Professor Tweedy put on his glasses, stood up, and tapped the microphone: “Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you hold your applause until we name all the winners. For Friendliest Bear, we award the prize to the Aldens’ Mister B.”
Benny clapped by mistake, but luckily his bear paws didn’t make any noise.
Professor Tweedy went on. “For Rarest Bear, the prize will be shared by Mrs. Henley Withers’s Herr Bear and Mrs. Elsa Keppel’s Fraulein Bear. Lastly, the judges have created a new prize for Most Talkative Bear. This prize goes to two bears: Chatter Bear, owned by Miss Hazel Sayer, and Baby Bear, not owned, but worn by Master Benjamin Alden.”
Professor Tweedy couldn’t keep people from clapping now. The winners came up to the table to have their pictures taken with their bears and their prizes—bear-shaped jars of honey.
For once, Benny got a word in before Chatter Bear: “I’m glad we solved the mystery. I couldn’t bear it much longer.” |