The Blue Hotel
by Stephen Crane

The Palace Hotel at Fort Romper was painted a light blue. It is a shade that is on the legs of a kind of heron; the color causes the bird to declare its position against any background. The Palace Hotel, then, was always screaming and howling in a way that made the dazzling winter landscape of Nebraska seem only a gray hush. It stood alone on the prairie; when the snow was falling, the town two hundred yards away was not visible. But when the traveler alighted at the railway station, he had to pass the Palace Hotel before he could come upon the low, clapboard houses which made up Fort Romper; it was not to be thought that any traveler could pass the Palace Hotel without looking at it. Pat Scully, the owner, had proved himself a master of strategy when he chose his paints. It is true that on clear days, when the great express trains swept through Fort Romper, passengers were overcome at the sight.

Adapted from Stephen Crane's "The Blue Hotel, " 1898.

4
Select the correct answer.
Why is Pat Scully a master of strategy?

A.
He painted the hotel the color found on the legs of a heron.
B.
He painted the hotel an eye-catching color.
C.
He was trained as a classical painter.
D.
He built the hotel between the train and the town.