“Isn’t he the cutest thing!” exclaimed Jill, as she saw the red-white-and-blue creature.  
“I thought we were rid of him,” Dr. Kenton groaned.
 
He brought the boat to the end of the waterway and tied it up. The children leaped out and ran to the bear, who climbed to his chubby feet to greet them. He licked the suits of Ted and Randy but merely stared at Jill and Dr. Kenton.
 
“It looks like we just can’t get rid of him,” Ted said, renewing his hope for possession of the animal.
 
“Oh, Father, can’t we keep him?” Jill pleaded, stroking the color bear.
 
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Randy patted the little round head, and the bear made a sort of purring, contented sound as the children fondled him.
 
Dr. Kenton threw up his hands helplessly. “I guess I know when I’m licked!” he burst out. “If Mother agrees, we’ll try and keep him. But you kids will have to attend to him yourselves, and mind you keep him out of the sand bog, or you won’t have him long.”
 
“We will!” Jill said. Now that she had made friends with the bear, he seemed ready to accept her and licked her suit as a sign of friendship.
 
Randy stayed outside with the bear while the other children went inside to talk persuasively with their mother. She objected at first, but finally yielded to their persistence.
 
“We’ll have to make out a requisition for plastic material for his outdoor house,” Dr. Kenton said. “Are you children willing to chip in part of your allowance to pay for it?”
 
They nodded.
 
“We’ll order it the same time as we do supplies for the garden,” the scientist said.
 
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“We’re going to have a garden?” Jill burst out.
 
“I thought we’d try it,” her father said. “That’s the only way we can get fresh vegetables.”
 
When Dr. Kenton went to the study to make out the requisition slip, Ted asked his mother, “Why didn’t Dad want to keep the bear? It seems to me that he doesn’t like those little guys, or is afraid of them, or something.”
 
“As a matter of fact, he is a little shy of them, I believe,” she answered. “He accidentally hurt a baby one badly in one of his explorations a few years ago, when he crushed its forepaw under his boot and it ran off crying. Your father’s so tender-hearted he’s probably reminded of that painful incident every time he sees one of the animals.”
 
“Maybe he’ll change after the bear has been around for a while,” Jill put in.
 
The air-lock door opened, and Randy stuck his head in.
 
“We’d forgotten all about you, Randy!” Jill exclaimed.
 
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“Are we going to keep him?” Randy asked anxiously.
 
“We sure are!” Jill piped. “Bring him in and let’s introduce him to Mother.”
 
Randy let the color bear inside. When he began staggering about, Mrs. Kenton exclaimed with horror: “He’s dying, the poor little fellow.”
 
Randy assured her he wasn’t really—that he behaved like this because of the extra oxygen in the air. Randy said that before long the bear would be able to go in and out without any bad effects at all.
 
Ted brought the animal over to his mother. She gingerly patted his blue furry head. In response he licked her dress. “Now we’re friends,” Mrs. Kenton said.
 
“We’ve got to give him a name,” Jill said. “What’ll we call him?”
 
“How about Fuzzy?” suggested Mrs. Kenton.
 
“No. Teddy!” Jill said.
 
Ted wrinkled his nose. “Then you’d get him mixed up with me. I think he ought to have a patriotic name because of his colors.”
 
“How about Yank, then?” Mrs. Kenton said.
 
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“That’s a good one!” Jill agreed.
 
“Yeah, that’s swell!” Ted said. “What do you think, Randy?”
 
He shrugged and grinned. “It sounds all right to me, but I don’t know what it means.”
 
Ted explained the word as being sort of a nickname for America and Americans. Randy had learned quite a bit about the United States flag, but the word Yankee was a new one to him. After he learned its meaning, he agreed that Yank was a perfect name for the color bear. When Dr. Kenton returned, Ted felt that the final introduction to the newest member of their family should be made.
 
“Yank, meet Dr. Kenton,” Ted said formally.
 
Ted’s father smiled and approached the little animal. “Hi, Yank,” he said.
 
His hand went out to pat the round head, but to everyone’s surprise, Yank drew back with a cry of fright. Dr. Kenton’s face went red as if he had been snubbed by a human being. Ted felt sorry for his father. Did the bear unconsciously know what the scientist had done to another member of his kind?
 
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“Don’t worry, John,” Mrs. Kenton said soothingly. “He’ll come around to you before long.”
 
Her husband quickly changed the subject. “I’ve made out the requisitions. I’ll send them over to headquarters now on the video-sender.”
 
(uncaptioned)
The children watched interestedly as he went to the video-sender, which was connected to the radiophone. He fastened the slips face down on a glass plate and held ope............