The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-03-13
THE GREATER
HATE
By ROY NORTON
(Copyright.) 4

ness covered at them ever as they
wandered through it seeking with des
perate struggles the preservation OF
their self-Valued lives.
One was tall and swart with the
hand-painting of the sun REFLECTED
from Arctic SHOWS. The other was
short and stocky, with the beetling
brow and sOmber look Of the man who
has trying heart history written
IN the dceps within him. And they,
fellow travellers for the time bu-
hating each other ever, Jared away to-
2cther.
Hunger walked with them and lent
Stag2ers to their steps as The spueaE-
iugs Of their snow shoes blended TO-
Sether at their meeting place. Below
them for indefinite miles stretched the
canyon up which they had come, it's
only relief from snowy ~whiteness be-
ing the darker copses Of green where
pine bOughs protruded.
The tall man stood Q~uesti0ningly for
what seemed a long time, and then, as
II his every nerve had weakened, he
stumbled forward beseeching: Grub,
for Gods sake, grub. | have eaten
nothing for the last two days"
There was a pause, but no throb Of
weakness in the voice that YEARLY an
sWered: Nor | for three days"
1t was like a blow TO the tall man.
He squatted on his heels, twisted his
fingers and moaned, while tears
dripped UNDECIDED down his bearded
face. Tom remained immOvable and
hrOoding. Here before him was the
object Of his years of search-the 9th
er man and his revenge.
Through all those years he had
thought that when this man was found
the end would come without delay.
He had pictured to himself the savage
JOY and satisfaction Of the kill. God!
How he wanted to kill,
1t was this starved and weakened
and sobbing thing that in those far
away years had stepped in between
him and his betrothed-the only wom.
an who had commanded all his hearts
hOmage-and with cunning lies, clever
insinuations and heartless malign-
ANtA' i't 'StAllSSd h'I. LIS, NtlSc /
than that, had taken her for his own
and then instead of cherishing her
had made her life such a hell on earth
that she had been glad to pass from
this into the portals of another world
had been glad to rest-to sleep-to
find the great quiet.
And never until she lay dying in
his arms had he known all this. And
never until then had he realized that
life could hold as its sole object and
a desire to kill another man.
The few minutes that had slipped
away since they met seemed ages.
Suddenly the terrors of their position
smote upon them, and together they
turned and faced that terrific and for
bidding wall that lowered above them,
plane of snO whose crusted sur
glistened coldly repellent.
mo other chance" said the stocky
one, more to the mountainside than to
his nearer.
NO." was admitted. "To go around
any other way takes 90 days. That
MEANS He shrugged in hopeless
ness.
AS if by common thought and single
impulse, they loosened their packs of
blankets which must be abandoned
dropped them upon the snow,
heir smaller camp impedimenta jang-
ing as 1t fell. Eying each other to
see whether the true was to be in full,
hey discarded their rifles. They
ightened their belts around their
.orn and worn garments. Their snow
shoes were unthonged and dashed fam
~astically across their backs. They
we're ready.
And thus with but a pick and shovel
hey assaulted the mountain range,
foothold in it's CLASSY face and
climbing upward, like doggedly per /;
istent insects, toward the ridges high :
.bove them. :
And SO they reached the crest of the
wide, a w~ind-swept ridge where little
wirls Of cutting, binding, biting snow
mote them in their faces and drove .
hill teeth into their starved bodies. :
They rested, lying on their arms :,
id Sala1I ms Oh SlSll IOl lI6 TRAY !
rsement of the ridge which stretched :
way before them like a narrow path :
n the backbone of the world. Chilled =
18th their respite they arose to their
eet and staggeringly made their way :.
long this pathway to shelter and ,
BOD. The tall one took the lead. Be :
him, with %steadier step, grim face
clinched fingers, strobe the :.
Il l.
With the shock of the unexpected =
lie feet Of the man in front slipped. -
lis ice-incrusted moccasins gave forth
rasping sound as he vainly fought :,
,r tirmer footing; his arms, holding ;,
lie burden of the shovel, wrenched !
idly to and fro, and with strange !,
of awkNardness he fell off
lie apex of the ridge and slid from it's v
fairness out upon the ice-clad Il
aclivity. And as he went, feet fore h
Iost, he still clutched in hands up n
used at length above his head, the