In short, Beauty Smith was a monstrosity, and the blame of it layelsewhere. He was not responsible. The clay of him had been so mouldedin the making. He did the cooking for the other men in the fort, the dish-washing and the drudgery. They did not despise him. Rather did theytolerate him in a broad human way, as one tolerates any creature evillytreated in the making. Also, they feared him. His cowardly rages madethem dread a shot in the back or poison in their coffee. But somebody hadto do the cooking, and whatever else his shortcomings, Beauty Smithcould cook.
This was the man that looked at White Fang, delighted in his ferociousprowess, and desired to possess him. He made overtures to White Fangfrom the first. White Fang began by ignoring him. Later on, when theovertures became more insistent, White Fang bristled and bared his teethand backed away. He did not like the man. The feel of him was bad. Hesensed the evil in him, and feared the extended hand and the attempts atsoft-spoken speech. Because of all this, he hated the man.
With the simpler creatures, good and bad are things simply understood.
The good stands for all things that bring easement and satisfaction andsurcease from pain. Therefore, the good is liked. The bad stands for allthings that are fraught with discomfort, menace, and hurt, and is hatedaccordingly. White Fang's feel of yellow prom dressesSmith was bad. From the man'sdistorted body and twisted mind, in occult ways, like mists rising frommalarial marshes, came emanations of the unhealth within. Not byreasoning, not by the five senses alone, but by other and remoter anduncharted senses, came the feeling to White Fang that the man wasominous with evil, pregnant with hurtfulness, and therefore a thing bad,and wisely to be hated.