92 THE FACE OF THE FIELDS 



frail skunk here by the snowy woodside, and it 

 thrilled as I pledged him protection, as I acknow- 

 ledged his right to the earth, his right to share 

 life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness with 

 me. He could have only a small part in my life, 

 doubtless, but I could enter largely into his, and 

 we could live in amity together — in amity here 

 on this bit of the divine earth, anyhow, if nowhere 

 else under heaven. 



This was along in February, and I was begin- 

 ning to set my hens. 



A few days later, in passing through the wood- 

 lot, I was surprised and delighted to see three 

 skunks in the near vicinity of the den, — resi- 

 dents evidently of the stump ! " Think ! " I ex- 

 claimed to myself, " think of the wild flavor to 

 this tame patch of woods ! And the creatures so 

 rare, too, and beneficial! They multiply rapidly, 

 though," I thought, "and I ought to have a fine 

 lot of them by fall. I shall stock the farm with 

 them." 



This was no momentary enthusiasm. In a book 

 that I had published some years before I had 

 stoutly championed the skunk. " Like every 

 predatory creature," I wrote, "the skunk more 



