_ INTRODUCING MR. AND MRS. SKUNK 41 
stood up like a little bear and holding the egg 
against his stomach with forepaws looked it 
over with a puzzled expression. 
The happy adventures of outdoor life never 
reduce the excess profits of life insurance 
companies. They lengthen life. Enjoying the 
sense of smell is one of the enjoyments of the 
open country; the spice of the pines and per- 
fumes of wild flowers, the chemical pungency 
of rain, sun, and soil, the mellow aromas of 
autumn, and the irrepressible odour of the 
skunk. 
The occupants of a city flat had complained 
for two days of the lack of heat. The janitor 
fired strong, but the protests continued. The 
hot air system did not work. The main must 
be blockaded, so the janitor thrust in the poker 
and stirred things up. There was a lively 
scratching inside. A skunk protested then 
came scrambling out. Instantly a skunk pro- 
test was registered in every room, and a pro- 
tester against skunk air rushed forth from each 
room. 
Indians say that skunk meat is a delicacy. 
The frequent attempts of lion and coyote to 
seize him suggest that he is a prize. 
An old joke of the prairie is this skunk defini- 
tion, “A pole cat is an animal not safe to kill 
with a pole.” But the Indians of the North- 
