As the majority, however, pronounced it "a dirty shame," and spoke of the author as "some mean skunk," the poet wisely concluded to conceal his identity, and by the end of the week the matter was, for the time being, practically forgotten.

"The little skunk's run to a hole; we'll smoke him out.

"Measly skunk!"

"Lanpher, you lousy skunk!

I think you are the dirtiest, meanest skunk I ever ran across.

"So the ornery skunks did try to burn us out, after all!"

"The poisonous little skunk!

Probably a selfish skunk of a spoiled kid, this brother of hers.

"We want you, you yellow skunk!" retorted Mooney.

Kieff was holding one of his opium shows, the damn' dirty skunk.

"Yuh low-down skunk!"

Water enough for them to wash with, we'll haveyou know they're so dirty now that nine out of ten of their houses haven't even baths in them, the filthy little skunks!

"Listen, you infernal skunk," Old Heck went on coldly, "as quick as you're able to travel you'll find Eagle Butte's a right good place to get away from!

Where did you run across him, and how did it come that you let that miserable skunk eat breakfast with you?" demanded Bluff.

The hog-nosed skunk, according to westerners, very often had hydrophobia and would bite a sleeper.