SHANDY BY RON GOULART _Shandy was a teddy bear, a lion, an ape, a rival for Nancy Tanner's affections.... But what_ else _was he_? [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] Holman came down out of the forest of giant orange-woods and trudged across the plain toward the place where Nancy Tanner lived. It was late afternoon and the woods beyond Nancy's home were already growing dark and dim. The door of the old spaceship was open and a dark flowered rug hung over the rail of the gangway. Late sun glazed the round window near the door, but Holman thought he had seen Nancy behind the strawberry-patterned curtains. Wearing a pale blue cotton dress, tan and slender, Nancy came out of the ship and into the low-trimmed grass. She held up one arm and waved once, smiling. "Ken," she said and turned to roll up the rug. Holman said, "How you been?" as he came near, walking at his usual pace. Setting the rug carefully on the bottom step, Nancy looked up at him. "Fine. Yourself?" "Not bad. Had a cold last week." Holman put his suitcase down next to the neatly rolled rug. Nancy frowned. "You still don't eat enough greens. That's why." Holman kissed her, his hands gentle on her back. "Well, here I am," he said. "Well, come in and we'll talk." She stepped slowly away from him and went up into the ship. Holman gathered up his suitcase and the rolled rug and followed her. He looked in and all around the kitchen before he entered. Nancy watched him over her shoulder while she got two china cups. She grinned at him as he stepped into the room. "I left the rug and my grip in the hall," Holman said and sat down in a straight-backed chair. Stooping to retie his hiking shoes, he glanced under the table. "Made it from the settlement in under four hours. Of course, I took big steps." "Would you like rum or whisky or something like that in your coffee?" Nancy asked, touching the handle of the coffee pot. "School teachers don't drink before sundown." "You're on vacation." "I'll wait. You go ahead, though." Nancy set a cup in front of him and backed away. "You really have a tent in that little suitcase? You're not trying to get me to put you up here?" "It's one of those monofilm ones." He pulled the cup closer to him and it rattled in the saucer. "I told you my intentions in my letter. And you said okay. So here I am to court you." Holman started to rise. Nancy nodded him down. "I supposed it will be all right. I don't know." She went back to the stove. Holman stood and started toward Nancy. He was distracted by a clicking sound in the hallway outside. As he turned to the entrance-way, a large tan lion came in, its black-tipped tail swishing slowly.