see,' he says, 'I never forget a face.'

"'And you 'ain't got such a bad memory for names, neither,' Lenine tells
him.

"'That ain't neither here nor there,' Czernin says, 'because if your
name would be O'Brien or something Swedish, even, I got here a
proposition, Mr. Lenine, which it's a pleasure to me that I got the
opportunity of offering it to you, and even if I do say so myself,
y'understand, such a gilt-edged proposition like this here ain't in the
market every day.'

"And that's the way Czernin sprung them peace propositions on Lenine &
Trotzky, and it don't make no difference that in this particular
instance it's practically a case of Lenine & Trotzky accepting whatever
proposition the Kaiser wants to put to them, y'understand, when it comes
to dickering with the Allies which can afford to act so independent to
the Kaiser that if Czernin is lucky he won't get thrown down-stairs more
than a couple of times, y'understand. He will come right back with the
names and family histories of a few more common acquaintances and a
couple of more concessions on the part of Germany, time after time,
until it'll begin to look like peace is in sight."

"I wish you was right, Abe," Morris said, "but I think you will find
that this here peace contract will be in charge of the diplomats and not
the real-estaters."

"Well, what's the difference?" Abe asked.

"Probably there ain't any," Morris admitted, "because their methods is
practically the same, which when countries goes to war on account of
treaties they claim the other country broke, y'understand, it's usually
just so much the fault of the diplomats which got 'em to sign the
treaties originally, as when business men get into a lawsuit over a
real-estate contract, it is the fault of the real-estate brokers in the
transaction. So therefore, Abe, unless we want to make a peace treaty
with Germany which would sooner or later end up in another war,
y'understand, the best thing for America to do is to depend for peace
not on brokers _oder_ diplomats, but on airyoplanes and guns with the
right kind of soldiers to work 'em. Furthermore, after we've got the
Germans back of the Rhine will be plenty of time to talk about entering
into peace contracts with the Kaiser, because then there will be nothing
left for the _Rosher_ to dicker about, and all we will have to do in the
way of diplomacy will be to say, 'Sign here,' and he'll sign there."

XVI

POTASH AND PERLMUTTER O