.

But Gud's relief was of short duration, for it was dawning upon his
consciousness that he had done a terrible thing, because all these
myriads of creatures about him looked just like himself. And Gud saw
that he had no longer the one Gud but one of a myriad of Guds; and that
he had lost his distinction and position and superiority, and all the
other satisfying attributes that attach to the office and function of
being Gud.

How it would all have ended, not even Gud knew, but just then they all
saw a stream of smoke in one of the galleries and they all shouted:
"Fire." There was a wild scramble. And when the Guds nearest the fire
had stamped out the flames, the real Gud had been lost in the turmoil
and confusion, and did not know which one of the myriads of Guds was
himself and which were the other Guds made in the image of himself.

It was very distressing.

For three days and seven nights Gud went around that world of equality,
wondering who he was and whether he was Gud or one of the imitation
Guds; and all the imitation Guds went around wondering whether they were
Gud or one of the imitation Guds.

And then a joyful event happened! The Underdog had become worried over
his master's long absence and had trailed him with his unerring canine
scent. Coming into the confusion of this world of equality, the Underdog
walked right up to the honest-to-God Gud, leaped up and sat himself upon
his own true master's shoulder and barked with delight, and licked the
cheek of his master.

When he saw the action of his dog, Gud knew again for a surety that he
was himself. With a mighty cry of deliverance from this torture and
terror of pure democracy and achieved equality, Gud called down
lightning from on high and earthquakes from below and winds from abroad
and floods from the seas, and destroyed the world of equality once and
for all and forever, and all that was therein contained, and all the
myriads of fraudulent Guds he had so foolishly made in his own image to
please the longing for equality in the soul of the parlor sociologist,
and thereby stop its wailing.

And when the fire and flood and the winds and the earthquakes had done
their work with neatness and dispatch, Gud and the Underdog went on
their way rejoicing, and Gud made three cats for the Underdog to chase.
They were all alike because they were copycats, and the Underdog would
chase one and then the other and then all three at once.

Gud sat down and laug