The Emancipated
L. Sprague de Camp
Johnny Black said: "Fo-wer sco-wer and-a sev-un yee-yers ago-wa, ou-wer fah-vers... fah-zerf—"
"The word" said Dr. Ewing, "is 'fathers'. With the voiced dental fricative, like this." The good psychologist made a horrible face as he intoned the "th" of "father," so Johnny could see how his tongue was used. Johnny recoiled a little before he remembered that his instructor had no intention of biting him.
"How?" he asked politely.
Dr. Ewing repeated the consonant whereon so many foreign students of English have come to grief. But the foreigners at least had human dentition, with four large chisel-shaped upper incisors flanked by a pair of chisel-shaped canines. Johnny's upper incisors were six small pegs, and the canines were large conical tusks. No matter what he did with his organs of speech, the resulting sound resembled anything but a human "th" sound.
He had numerous other troubles. For instance, the l's defeated him completely. So Johnny at his best sounded like a Voder with a short circuit. But it was doing pretty well, considering that he had not in his youth established those many chains of lightning reflexes that enable men to rattle off threats, promises, excuses and lies so glibly. And that his black bear's anatomy had not been designed for speech in the first place. A man learning to type with his toes would be a good analogue to Johnny learning to talk.
This had been going on for months, since a ripple in the affairs of men had brought Johnny and his boss, Ira Methuen, up from the blue Caribbean. Methuen, who had given Johnny his superbearish intelligence by cerebral injection, was now heading Yale's Department of Biology, and Johnny was studying speech at New York University under Ewing.
Johnny was still struggling bear-fully with the dental fricatives when Chauncey Malone arrived. Like Ewing, Malone had a lot of white hair. But he was as pale and frail as Ewing was pink and robust. Malone was—grace to Tammy Hall—New York City's commissioner of parks— New York had backslid again.
Johnny said: "Herro, Mr. Ma-rone."
Malone nodded absently at Johnny. He could never be at his best in the same room with five hundred pounds of bear. The fact that the bear spoke to him was, if anything, a little more unnerving.
Ewing said in his hearty, crisp voice: "Hello, Mr. Malone. Well?"
"I've been thinking," said Malone hesitantly."I haven't quite made up my mind yet."
"Better decide pretty quick. I can keep one animal in my apartment but not two. As it is, I can't depend on regular milk and newspaper deliveries. The boys throw the bottles and papers in the ash can to avoid meeting Johnny. And my landlord's complaining."
"There's... there's nothing in your lease about bears in the apartment, is there?"
"No, but there's a clause about endangering the other tenants. And I want my bathroom repapered. Been hunting for years for wallpaper with octopuses on it, and at last I've found some. But the landlord won't move while I've got Johnny, to say nothing of Methuen's damned chimpanzee."
"When's the chimp due?" asked Malone. Maybe if he could get Ewing off the subject, he could postpone the moment of having to make up his mind.
"Methuen says he'll be finished with his injections in a few days and will drive McGinty down."
Malone asked Johnny: "What... what do you think of the idea of educating McGinty, Mr. Black?"
Johnny said solemnly: "I sink it is a serious mistake."
"Why?"
"I know McGinty. A self-conceited, mean-tempered individuar. Giving him brains wirr not improve his nature."
"Never mind that," snapped Ewing."Johnny's probably jealous; wants to be the only intelligent animal. Well, how about it?"
"Let me see; I really haven't decided—"
"Oh, for Heaven's sake! It's a simple business proposition. We board Johnny Black and McGinty at the Central Park Zoo; you turn over such of your specimens as we pick for the Methuen treatment. We get specimens; you get publicity. Do you agree, or do I have to approach the Zoological Society again?"
"Oh, well, if you insist—we'll do it. But if you damage one of our exhibits—"
"Not much danger. By the way, you'll have to furnish transportation for the specimens. We haven't got a truck. And Johnny's got to be taken to and from his classes up here."
Johnny didn't mind the change from Ewing's apartment to the Central Park bear dens. He did threaten to become uncooperative if they didn't let him take his mattress along.
His den already contained two female American blacks, Susie and Nokomis, and a male, Ink. They looked at him warily as he toddled into the inclosure with his mattress rolled up and slung over his shoulder. Their smell excited him. They were the first members of his own species whom he had had an opportunity to know personally.
"Herro," he said."My name is Johnny Brack."
The three bears looked a trifle startled. Of course, he thought, they couldn't understand him, yet. So, with his claws, he cut the strings that held his mattress, unrolled it, and spread himself out on the mattress in a sunny spot. He took the spectacles out of the case around his neck and opened the book he had brought along.
A spectator explained to his small boy: "Sure, that's a grizzly beh. No, behs can't read. He's just trained to do like he was reading. To make people laugh. No, I dunno why the other behs don't read. Sure, they eat people."
Johnny looked up sharply at this canard, and was tempted to contradict it. But, he thought, if he started an argument with the spectators he'd never get time to read his book. So he said nothing.
Johnny found that as soon as he got up to go for a stroll, the other bears made a dive for the mattress. So he spent a good deal of time driving them away from it. He made a point of establishing himself as boss of the cage right at the start. His cage mates, he thought, would be pretty dull company until they received brains. After that they might be useful to him.
Johnny happened to be passing Ewing's office when Methuen arrived with McGinty in tow. Johnny's boss led McGinty, trotting along on his knuckles, by a light steel chain, much more ornamental than useful and not very ornamental. Johnny and Methuen said hello and shook paws and grinned, and Johnny said: "Rook, boss, I can talk awmost as werr as you. Rike zis: 'You may talk o' gin and beer when you're quartered safe out 'ere, and you're sent—'"
"Yes, yes, old man," interrupted
Methuen hastily."T knew you'd make a marvelous talker once you got started. You remember McGinty, don't you? ''
"Sure," said Johnny. He reached a paw toward the chimpanzee, who suddenly jerked the end of the chain out of Methuen's hand, whirled two feet of it around his head, and let fly at Johnny. The steel crossbar on the end stung Johnny's sensitive nose.
"Oof!" cried Johnny."I show you!
McGinty was jumping up and down excitedly, grunting, "Keek! Keek!" and showing all his teeth. As Johnny sprang at him he squealed with fear and bolted down the corridor.
Just then the class bell rang. McGinty, terrified, leaped upon the nearest person, who happened to be a girl student, seized her about the neck, and tried to bury his face in her armpit. Now, to have one hundred and fifty pounds of hairy ape suddenly climb your frame is a disconcerting experience. McGinty was merely seeking protection. - But the girl could not be expected to know that. She made a noise like a subway-car wheel on a sharp turn and collapsed. By the time Methuen arrived, shouting, McGinty realized he had done wrong somehow and was quite docile.
"Let him alone, Johnny!" cried Methuen."He doesn't know any better, yet."
Johnny halted. He wouldn't have, for anybody else."Aw right. But I remember zat bump on ze nose."
Ewing appeared and asked: "Does he behave like that always?"
"No," said Methuen."At least, not very often. But you can't depend on him. Want to call the whole thing off?"