How the Skunk Got its Stripes

Once, in the beginning of time, a long time ago, was a skunk who hated to work. It was the sweetest smelling animal in all of creation then, and it was terribly afraid that if it would work, it would lose its scent, and spoil its beautiful coat. For at that time, the skunk had a smashing, dashing, prancing, dancing, rushing, ushing, quick coat, which, dearest, was not the regular black-and-white stripe, dearest- it was India rubber oiled with all the colors of the rainbow (and you must not forget it!), which made the skunk very proud indeed.

One day, a flower, which had the worst looking coat of all in that time, and so worked and worked toward maybe someday getting a lovely coat, looked longingly at the skunk’s beautiful India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow. “Pardon me,” said the flower, “but I simply must know just how you received that India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow.” “Well,” said the skunk, and that was all it would say. It had no feelings for the simple flower, with hairy old leaves, and petals of vast shrewdness, but said only, “Well,” and that was all.

The flower, within its petals of vast shrewdness, looked at the skunk, so conceited and all, and decided to bring forth the genie, from his small oil lamp that he had been given permission to collect at the beginning of the world. It was not gold, but the flower thought with wonder that it was India rubber oiled with all the colors of the rainbow, and that made all the difference (And now you see why you mustn’t have forgotten the India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow). Finally, it asked the teeny-tiny powerless genie to come out, and fix the skunk of its conceited scent and India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow. The genie said, “How, and I shall,” and recited the following rhythm: “Skunks that won’t work had better regard the lurk.” And the genie got out of his pot, and immediately turned the skunk into a creature as small as himself, and stuck him in the oil lamp. For the genie was so immensely tiny and powerless, that it was nearly impossible for the skunk to see the lurking man. “Let me out!” the little skunk shrieked. “No,” said the genie, “for you would not work.” “But I will!” gasped the skunk, “Now please let me out!” “Alright,” said the flower with its petals of vast shrewdness, “Let the skunk out on one condition.” “What condition?” asked the skunk from within the oil lamp made of India rubber oiled with all the colors of the rainbow. “That you would give up your lovely scent, and your beautiful India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow- and work!” “But that is all I’ve got! But—it is granted.”

So the flower, along with its petals of vast shrewdness, let the skunk out, and the genie transferred the lovely scent, and the skunk’s India rubber skin oiled with all the colors of the rainbow over to the flower. And ever since then, the skunk has never refused to work, and all the flowers have had a lovely scent and smell.