The Blue Hotel

Stephen Crane · 1898 CE · Short Story · Modern / American · Victorian

A Swede stops at a garishly painted hotel in Fort Romper, Nebraska, in a blizzard, convinced from dime novels that the West means he will be killed before morning. The proprietor's whisky and a game of High-Five steady him until he accuses one of the players of cheating. Every man in the room contributes a small share to what follows, which is the story's closing and much-quoted claim.

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