ents. Senator Vardaman is a white man and Senator Reed is a
white man and they are both of them as white as, but no whiter than, the
President of Cuba and several million Brazilian gentlemen. But with
Senator Reed it's a case of any argument is a good argument, so long as
it is an argument against the League of Nations."

"But as I understand it Senator Vardaman ain't in the Senate no more,"
Abe said. "He got defeated last election."

"And the way he is heading, Abe," Morris said, "Senator Reed will join
him next election, because, while nine times out of ten, when it comes
to re-election, a United States Senator has got things pretty well
sewed-up, _so_ sewed-up he couldn't have them, that he could make such
foolish speeches on such an important matter. Furthermore, it don't
make no difference how wise or how foolish the speeches which Senators
makes against the League of Nations might be, Abe, it is going to go
through, _anyhow_."

"What makes you think that?" Abe asked.

"Because I see where the National Democratic Committee met in Chicago
the other day, and the chairman by the name Cummings threatened that if
the Senate don't approve the League of Nations Covenant, Mr. Wilson
would run for President again," Morris said.

"What do you mean--threatened?" Abe demanded. "You talk like Mr. Wilson
running for President again was something to be scared about."

"I don't talk that way, but Mr. Cummings does," Morris said. "In fact,
the Democratic National Committee, on the head of what Mr. Cummings
said, passed a resolution that they were in favor of the prompt
ratification by the Senate of the Treaty of Peace, including the League
of Nations, so it would appear that the Democratic National Committee
ain't so tickled about Mr. Wilson running again, neither."

"Well, if Mr. Wilson don't run again for President on the Democratic
ticket, Mawruss, who will?" Abe inquired.

"I don't know, and, furthermore, I think that the Democratic National
Committee is temporarily in the same condition about that proposition as
Hawker and Grieve was about that cross-Atlantic proposition--also
temporarily," Morris concluded, "I mean, up in the air."

XIX

THE LEAK AND OTHER MYSTERIES

"Outside of one poor night watchman _nebich_," Abe Potash said to his
partner, Morris Perlmutter, "the only people which has really and truly
suffered from the goings-on of them anarchists is the insurance
companies, Mawruss."

"In a case l