shevists frankly
proclaiming their intention to destroy civilization as it stood.

Like a prudent skipper, Davidge began to trim his ship for the new
storm that must follow the old. He took thought of the rivalries that
would spring up inevitably between the late Allies, like brothers now,
but doomed to turn upon one another with all the greater bitterness
after war. For peace hath her wickedness no less renowned than war.

What would labor do when the spell of consecration to the war was gone
and the pride of war wages must go before a fall? The time would come
abruptly when the spectacle of employers begging men to work at any
price would be changed to the spectacle of employers having no work
for men--at any price.

The laborers would not surrender without a battle. They had tasted
power and big money and they would not be lulled by economic
explanations.

Mamise came upon Davidge one day in earnest converse with a faithful
old toiler who had foreseen the same situation and wanted to know what
his boss thought about it.

Iddings had worked as a mechanic all his life. He had worked hard, had
lived sober, had turned his wages over to his wife, and spent them on
his home and his children.

He was as good a man as could be found. Latterly he had been tormented
by two things, the bitterness of increasing infirmities and dwindling
power and the visions held out to him by Jake Nuddle and the disciples
Jake had formed before he was taken away.

As Mamise came up in her overalls Iddings was saying:

"It ain't right, boss, and you know it. When a man like me works as
hard as I done and cuts out all the fun and the booze and then sees
old age comin' on and nothin' saved to speak of and no chance to save
more'n a few hundred dollars, whilst other men has millions--why, I'm
readin' the other day of a woman spendin' eighty thousand dollars on a
fur coat, and my old woman slavin' like a horse all her life and goin'
round in a plush rag--I tell you it ain't right and you can't prove it
is."

"I'm not going to try to," said Davidge. "I didn't build the world
and I can't change it much. I see nothing but injustice everywhere I
look. It's not only among men, but among animals and insects and
plants. The weeds choke out the flowers; the wolves eat up the sheep
unless the dogs fight the wolves; the gentle and the kind go under
unless they're mighty clever. They call it the survival of the
fittest, but it's really the survival