“Jimmy Skunk,” said Old Dame Nature, and her voice was very stern, very stern indeed, and her face was very grave. “Jimmy Skunk, I accuse you of having broken and eaten the eggs of Mrs. Grouse. What have you to say for yourself?”
Jimmy Skunk hung his head. He hadn’t a word to say. He just wanted to sneak away by himself.
“Jimmy Skunk,” said Old Dame Nature, “because your handsome black coat, of which you are so proud, has made it possible for you to move about in the night without being seen, and because we can no longer trust you upon your honor, henceforth you and your descendants shall wear a striped coat which is the sign that you cannot be trusted. Your coat hereafter shall be black and white, that will always be visible.”
And this is why to this day Jimmy Skunk wears a striped suit of black and white.
[K] From “Old Mother West Wind,” by Thornton W. Burgess; used by permission of the author and publishers, Little, Brown & Co.
BY JOHN BENNETT
A Boy having a Pet Cat which he Wished to Feed, Said to Her, “Come, Cat, Drink this Dish of Cream; it will Keep your Fur as Soft as Silk, and Make you Purr like a Coffee-Mill.”