A Tale of a Tail.
Comrade Hallett tells this one:
Dusty Dave was hot, tired, dusty and so hungry that he did not know his belly from his backbone. His faithful dog, Rover, followed his master, eyeing him wistfully. They were in a bad country. Nothing to eat in sight anywhere. So at last, after thinking it over a long time, Dave turned to the dog and said: ‘I’m sorry to do it, old pal, but there’s no help for it.’ So he took out his knife and cut of poor Rover’s tail. Then he started a fire and made a fine dog-tail soup, Dave ate the soup and felt a little better. Then he gave the poor dog the bone.
Dave and the dog did not know it, but by this action they represented exactly ‘The System.” The Capitalist gets the soup and the workers their own bones. In which there is a lesson.