The Project Gutenberg EBook of Once to Every Man, by Larry Evans

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Title: Once to Every Man

Author: Larry Evans

Illustrator: Anton Otto Fischer

Release Date: August 9, 2009 [EBook #29646]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: "IT WAS FOR ME--YOU WENT. DON'T YOU--DIDN'T YOU KNOW IT
WAS--JUST BECAUSE OF YOU--THAT I WANTED THEM--AT--ALL?"]

ONCE TO EVERY MAN

BY

LARRY EVANS

ILLUSTRATED BY

ANTON OTTO FISCHER

GROSSET & DUNLAP

PUBLISHERS :: NEW YORK

Copyright, 1913, by

The Metropolitan Magazine Company.

Copyright, 1914, by

The Metropolitan Magazine Company.

Copyright, 1914, by

The H. K. Fly Company.

TO

MINE OWN PEOPLE

ILLUSTRATIONS

"It Was for Me--You Went. Don't You--Didn't You Know
It Was--Just Because of You--That I Wanted
Them--At--All?" _Frontispiece_
"Hold Me Tight--Oh! Hold Me Tighter! for They Forgot
Me, Too, Denny; They Forgot Me Too!" 53
"Dryad, It's All Right--It's Always Been All
Right--With Us! They Lied--They Lied and They
Knew They Were Lying!" 85
"What You Need, Gentlemen, Is a Trifle Wider
Readin'--Just a Trifle! for You Ain't Bein' Well
Posted on Facts!" 149

ONCE TO EVERY MAN

CHAPTER I

The most remarkable thing about the boy was his eyes--that is, if any
man with his spread of shoulder and masculine grace of flat muscled
hips could be spoken of any longer as a boy, merely because his years
happened to number twenty-four.

They, however--the eyes--were gray; not a too light, off-color,
gleaming gray, but more the tone of slate, deep when one chanced
to find oneself peering deep into them. And they were old. Any
spontaneity of youth which might have flashed from them at one
time had faded entirely and left a sort of wistful sophistry
behind, an almost plaintive hunger which made the pity