Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-23


hundred people. Ii is the Mecca OF the na-
tiyes for twenty miles around. A group Of
them were gathered about hot stove in
one OF the general stores the other day.
They were roaring over the mishap OF
bridesmaid who had stumbled ogert living
specimen Of Hephitis americana while
footing IL through the woods 20 her eternal
siscomhture and the ruin Of her wedding
6nery.
Darn a skunk nohow," emphatically
remarked one of the boys.
"well, sirs, I dunno" said another,
pushing his hands e. the elbow in the
pockets of his jean breeches, and stating
at the toss of his boots, ''yOu kin say what
you blame please alto 1t skunks but never
go back on a friend. They're the purtiest
bird that runs loose in these mountains,
fur one thing aud fur another, many's the
time when they've been meat ami drink
fur my family"
"Right you are, Isrul; but all the same
say darn EN-"
"Meat and drink fur my family, repeat
ed Israel, stubborDly.
For Heavens SAX, how do you cook
hemp | asked.
Then Israel and the other BOYS got up
and yelled They threw their hats on the
floor and stamped on them; they over
turned the wood-box, and laughed until
the storekeeper came back and warned
them that 'Sech thunder's thet's enough
tospile every egg in the house."
"Why, durn your onnery skiu." said
Israel at last, ''we're pretty blame low
down; but we don't eat skunxs. We skin
'em and ., II the hide, you fool, and the fur
dealers make seal-skin sacques out OF 'em
fur city ladies'"
This was a piece of misinformation.
Alaska sable is the trade euphemism for
skunk skin, and il is mainly used for muffs
and trimmings.
'How do we ketch 'em? In different
ways; sometimes in traps, sometimes we
shoot them, and sometimes we run the var
mints down with dogs. / mainly trail 'em
with dog, and then when they come in
sight kinder whang 'em over with my old
rifle. It's the boss fun when you've got a
good dog. and there amt ary skunk dog in
these mountains kin come within gunshot
of my old hound Kate. / mind the time
last fall, long about November, when she
fresh and gushing, slap into one OF the
critters. He guv her broadside, and with
one yelp she staggered off into the woods
like drunken man. / knew it
caught her in the eyes, and l said
to myself; Goodbye, old hound; you're
blind as badger But / was
mistooken. In three days she came home
as sweet as u nut, and, barring little in
hammation. her eyes were all o. K Dogs
amt no fools, and that's a fact. They kin
doctor themselves like time, eff you'll only
let 'em alone. In the fall of 'S2 l gathered
n forty three skins-eleven whites, twen-
ty-six stripes and five blacks. The white
skins brought me twenty cents apiece, the
stripes about four bits each. and the blacks
dollar apiece. didn't make no business
of hunting them, either: but now and then
I'd get hankering for sport, and I'd
kinder whistle to old Kate, mount my rife,
and away we'd go inter the woods a
skunking. II used to be cold day when l
didn't come back VI tn half dozen; aud
one morning long about the 1st of Decem-
Der lit on fourteen in one hole. Nary a
one OF 'em got away. There was snow on
the ground that morning, and 1 hadn't
much hopes OF doing anything in the
skunk line: but thought p'raps l mi ght
whang over a fox, which. if I did, would
have brought me in from one 10 four dol
lars fur his hide. But that wasn't my fox
day. We'd a-loped along through tho
woodsup thers on PuckeSt's Creek fur
about three miles, till we come to that
rocky spot growed up in brush and little
psrSy scrub pines. You mind tat place,
boys; it's kinder level. and sheltered and
snuggles in TO the side of the mountain like
it wanted TO get in out of the cold.r
| The boys nodded their heads in afflrma-
ton, and Israel shifted his quid to the other
/ cheek.
"Well, boys, when got that fur l was
kinder dubious about going any further,
and whilst / was sorter studyin' over It old
/ Kate guv a little whine, and began to dig
/ like all possessed undsr q biz rock that
stuck up I'm the air about four feet. l gave
one look At the ground. aud then climbed.
/ saw il was a skunk burrow she was in,
/ and | knew the family was TO hum from
| the way she dug and whin d and clawed
I rt. | knew Kate knowed her business,
so climbed, and when I got about twenty
foot away brought my old rifle 10 a ready
and waited fur the first skunk that should
I jump. Do you know how a skunk iumpsg"
II am sorry 70 say have never seen ona
of the animals, alive OF dead"
"Well, they come in three colors, black.
white and striped. The stripes are the
commousst, the whites come next. but
I when you do get black YOU get a prize
"a the hide'll bring in an even dollar. Just
imagine a big fat weasel with long hair.
mainly black. with couple OF white
stripes running along each side OF his body
from his head 30 the tip Of his tail mag
ine the tail TO be az long as tn varmint
and raised up over his bacz like plume
on a circus boss, the long hair on IL falling
Down and blowing in tho wind as pretty as
picture. aud You'll have a right smart
dee OF what was a-vaitin FOR wi'h my
Did rife cooked ready 70 speak. Rut 1t