rother returned to the forest, stepping with the dignity which befitted
the position he was soon to hold as leader of a herd.

IN THE WAKE OF THE THAW

On a day in early March, when the wilderness lay wrapped in its snowy
mantle and the winter sleepers had not yet ventured abroad, a big skunk,
curled snug and warm in his den, sighed and opened his eyes. The
sunlight streaming in at the mouth of the little cave attracted him and
he stepped forth. A warm south wind had risen during the night and the
faint sound of running water was borne to the keen ears of the animal, a
sound which reminded him pleasantly of spring.

Wide awake now, he began to feel the pangs of hunger, and accordingly he
sallied forth to see what tempting morsel might be brought his way.
Instinctively he turned south towards the nearest farm, stopping
occasionally, his head cocked on one side, to listen for mice which had
their runways beneath the snow. He paused a moment on a high ridge to
look about him and decide upon his course.

Across a snowy pasture, broken by clumps of juniper and bay and steep
upthrusts of rock, he saw the rude but substantial buildings of a
backwoods farm. The smoke rising lazily from the chimney into the clear
air was the only sign of life about the place. The prospect looked
inviting and the skunk quickly made his way down the ridge and across
the pasture to the nearest building. A delectable odour assailed his
nostrils and he paused to sniff appreciatively. It was the warm,
tempting odour of poultry.

The skunk walked around the building, the delicious odour meeting him at
every turn. As he reached the front there arose a furious barking and a
dog appeared around the farther corner. At sight of the skunk, the dog
stopped so precipitately as to skid for almost a foot in the soft snow.
The skunk stopped and regarded him in a haughty manner. Then with his
forefeet he stamped upon the ground, a warning which the dog, versed in
the ways of skunks, was quick to recognize. A moment longer they looked
into each other's eyes; then the dog turned and strolled back in the
direction of the house, his whole bearing indicating a lack of interest
in his immediate surroundings. The skunk, too, turned his back
indifferently.

At one side he found a place where the soil had been partly washed away
from beneath the building. He soon succeeded in enlarging the hole
enough to permit his entrance. A few minutes later he might have