ocking-birds?' Nowadays, however, the best
that such a man has got to complain about being tough is round steak,
and his wife now says, 'What do you want for twenty dollars a week
housekeeping money--chicken?'"

"And the standard of living for even business men is going down so fast,
Mawruss, that next year when such a man complains that the tripe is
tough, she is going to say, 'What do you expect for twenty dollars a
week housekeeping money--round steak?'" Abe said, "and if them packers
goes on trying to control the entire bill of fare from soup to cereals,
Mawruss, it would only be a matter of a few years when such a husband is
going to complain that the puffed jute is tough, and his wife is going
to ask him, 'What do you expect for twenty dollars a week housekeeping
money--ensilage?' which, if something ain't done pretty soon to stop
dealers boosting the price of food, Mawruss, twenty dollars a week
housekeeping money ain't going to feed a family of hearty-eating
canary-birds."

"I suppose that in the end, Abe, the business man would be obliged to
admit that the high cost of living is just as expensive for his wife as
it is for his other employees," Morris concluded, "and, without the
formality of a strike, the wives of business men will be conceded a new
wage-scale of from thirty to forty dollars, in place of the old scale of
twenty dollars, for a working-week of one hundred and sixty-eight hours,
because it don't make no difference if the Senate confirms the League of
Nations or not, Abe, married business men will never live up to the
clause which provides for an international working-day of eight
hours--anyhow, so far as their wives is concerned."

"That ain't the only clause of the Peace Treaty which wouldn't be lived
up to, Mawruss," Abe said, "because I see that already the Germans is
having their troubles restoring to the British government this here
skull of the Sultan Mkwiwa, Mawruss, which, according to Section Eight,
I think it is, of the Treaty of Peace, was removed from German East
Africa and taken to Germany."

"But the Germans claim that it was never taken from German East Africa,
but was buried there, and they misremember the name of the cemetery,"
Morris declared.

"I know they do, and I couldn't understand their attitude in the matter,
Mawruss," Abe said. "Why don't they go to work and send England any old
skull, which a skull is a skull, ain't it?--and one skull is just as
much like another s