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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+ <head>
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" />
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />
+ <title>
+ The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Last Supper, by T. D. Hamm
+ </title>
+ <style type="text/css">
+
+ p {margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+ h1,h2,.bk2 {text-align: center;}
+ h2 {margin-bottom: 2em;}
+ body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+ img {border: none;}
+ a:link,a:visited {text-decoration: none;}
+ p.cap:first-letter {float: left; margin-right: .05em; padding-top: .05em; font-size: 300%; line-height: .8em; width: auto;}
+ .dcap {text-transform: uppercase;}
+ .figt {float: left; clear: left; margin: 15px; padding: 0; width: 137px;}
+ .trn {border: solid 1px; margin: 3em 15%; min-height: 230px;}
+ .trn p {margin: 15px;}
+ .bk1 {margin-right: 40%;}
+ .sp1 {font-size: 150%;}
+ .bk2 {margin-top: 2em;}
+
+ </style>
+ </head>
+<body>
+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30348 ***</div>
+
+<div class="bk1"><p><big><i>Before reading this story, prepare yourself for a
+jolt and a chill in capsule form. O. Henry could
+have been proud of it. It could well become a
+minor classic.</i></big></p></div>
+
+<h1><span class="sp1">The Last Supper</span></h1>
+
+<h2>By T. D. Hamm</h2>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">Hampered</span> as she was by the
+child in her arms, the woman
+was running less fleetly now. A wave
+of exultation swept over Guldran,
+drowning out the uneasy feeling of
+guilt at disobeying orders.</p>
+
+<p>The instructions were mandatory
+and concise: "<i>No</i> capture must be
+attempted individually. In the
+event of sighting any form of human
+life, the ship MUST be notified
+immediately. All small craft
+must be back at the landing space
+not later than one hour before take-off.
+Anyone not so reporting will be
+presumed lost."</p>
+
+<p>Guldran thought uneasily of the
+great seas of snow and ice sweeping
+inexorably toward each other
+since the Earth had reversed on its
+axis in the great catastrophe a millennium
+ago. Now, summer and winter
+alike brought paralyzing gales
+and blizzards, heralded by the sleety
+snow in which the woman's skin-clad
+feet had left the tracks which
+led to discovery.</p>
+
+<p>His trained anthropologist's mind
+speculated avidly over the little they
+had gotten from the younger of the
+two men found nearly a week before,
+nearly frozen and half-starved.
+The older man had succumbed almost
+at once; the other, in the most
+primitive sign language, had indicated
+that, of several humans living
+in caves to the west, only he and
+the other had survived to flee some
+mysterious terror. Guldran felt a
+throb of pity for the woman and her
+child, left behind by the men, no
+doubt, as a hindrance.</p>
+
+<p>But what a stroke of fortune that
+there should be left a male and female
+of the race to carry the seed
+of Terra to another planet. And
+what a triumph if he, Guldran,
+should be the one to return at the
+eleventh hour with the prize. No
+need of calling for help. This was
+no armed war-party, but the most
+defenseless being in the Universe&mdash;a
+mother burdened with a child.</p>
+
+<p>Guldran put on another burst of
+speed. His previous shouts had
+served only to spur the woman to
+greater efforts. Surely there was
+<i>some</i> magic word that had survived
+even the centuries of illiteracy.
+Something equivalent to the "bread
+and salt" of all illiterate peoples.
+Cupping his hands to his mouth,
+he shouted, "Food! food!"</p>
+
+<p>Ahead of him the woman turned
+her head, leaped lightly in mid-stride,
+and went on; slowing a little
+but still running doggedly.</p>
+
+<p>Guldran's pulse leaped. He yelled
+again, "Food!"</p>
+
+<p>The instant that his foot touched
+the yielding surface of the trap, he
+knew that he had met defeat. As his
+body crashed down on the fire-sharpened
+stakes, he knew too the
+terror from which the last men of
+the human race had fled.</p>
+
+<p>Above him the woman looked
+down, her teeth gleaming wolfishly.
+She pointed down into the pit;
+spoke exultantly to the child.</p>
+
+<p>"Food!" said the last woman on
+earth.</p>
+
+<p class="bk2"><b>THE END</b></p>
+
+<div class="trn"><div class="figt"><a href="images/001-2.jpg"><img src="images/001-1.jpg" width="137" height="200" alt="" title="" /></a></div>
+
+<p><big><b>Transcriber's Note:</b></big></p>
+
+<p>This etext was produced from <i>If Worlds of Science Fiction</i> September 1952.
+Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+typographical errors have been corrected without note.</p></div>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30348 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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