The Project Gutenberg eBook, Love of Life, by Jack London, Illustrated by
Charles Livingston Bull

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Title: Love of Life
and Other Stories

Author: Jack London

Release Date: April 13, 2007 [eBook #710]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOVE OF LIFE***

Transcribed from the 1913 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

LOVE OF LIFE
AND OTHER STORIES

BY
JACK LONDON
AUTHOR OF "THE CALL OF THE WILD," "PEOPLE
OF THE ABYSS," ETC., ETC.

New York
PUBLISHED FOR
THE REVIEW OF REVIEWS COMPANY
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
LONDON: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD.
1913
_All rights reserved_

COPYRIGHT, 1906,
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

{He watched the play of life before him: p0.jpg}

Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1907. Reprinted December,
1907; December, 1911. October, 1913.

LOVE OF LIFE

"This out of all will remain--
They have lived and have tossed:
So much of the game will be gain,
Though the gold of the dice has been lost."

They limped painfully down the bank, and once the foremost of the two men
staggered among the rough-strewn rocks. They were tired and weak, and
their faces had the drawn expression of patience which comes of hardship
long endured. They were heavily burdened with blanket packs which were
strapped to their shoulders. Head-straps, passing across the forehead,
helped support these packs. Each man carried a rifle. They walked in a
stooped posture, the shoulders well forward, the head still farther
forward, the eyes bent upon the ground.

"I wish we had just about two of them cartridges that's layin' in that
cache of ourn," said the second man.

His voice was utterly and drearily expressionless. He spoke without
enthusiasm; and the first man, limping into the milky stream that foamed
over the rocks, vouchsafed no reply.

The other man followed at his heels. They did not remove their
foot-gear, though the water was icy cold--so cold that their ankles ached
and their feet went numb. In places the water dashed against their
knees, and both men staggered for