The game . ows, none of whomseemed to take the slightest notice of had their coats off and their shirtsleeves rolled up. They entered the hallfrom the rear, still keeping the casualformation of the group, and moved slowlyup a side aisle. It was a crowded, ill-lighted hall, barn-like in its proportions, and the smoke-laden air gave a peculiar distortion toeverything. She felt as though she would 98 THE GAME stifle. There were shrill cries of boys sell-ing programmes and soda water, and therewas a great bass rum-ble of masculine heard a voice offer-ing ten to six on JoeFle
The game . ows, none of whomseemed to take the slightest notice of had their coats off and their shirtsleeves rolled up. They entered the hallfrom the rear, still keeping the casualformation of the group, and moved slowlyup a side aisle. It was a crowded, ill-lighted hall, barn-like in its proportions, and the smoke-laden air gave a peculiar distortion toeverything. She felt as though she would 98 THE GAME stifle. There were shrill cries of boys sell-ing programmes and soda water, and therewas a great bass rum-ble of masculine heard a voice offer-ing ten to six on JoeFleming. The utter-ance was monotonous, . ^^ — hopeless, it seemed/ y0S\ \ to her, and she felt a quick thrill. It washer Joe against whomeverybody was afraid tobet. And she felt other thrills. Her bloodwas touched, as by fire, with romance, ad-venture — the unknown, the mysterious,the terrible — as she penetrated this hauntof men where women came not. And therewere other thrills. It was the only time in. ^^^ THE GAME 99 her life she had dared the rash thing. Forthe first time she was overstepping thebounds laid down by that harshest oftyrants, the Mrs. Grundy of the workingclass. She felt fear, and forherself, though the momentbefore she had been think-ing only of Joe. Before she knew it, thefront of the hall had beenreached, and she had goneup half a dozen steps into asmall dressing-room. Thiswas crowded to suffocation— by men who played theGame, she concluded, inone capacity or here she lost Joe. • Butbefore the real personal fright could soundlyclutch her, one of the young fellows said
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1905
