In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said, ‘Is it good, friend?’ ‘It is bitter — bitter,’ he answered, ‘But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart.

Greco-Turkish War
Despite contentment in Jacksonville and the need for rest after his ordeal Crane became restless. Meanwhile Crane's affair with Taylor quickly blossomed. Portrayed favorably and heroically by the press Crane emerged from the ordeal with his reputation enhanced if not restored after the battering he received during the Dora Clark affair.

Prolific throughout his short life he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Impressionism. Having little interest in university studies he left school in 1891 and began work as a reporter and writer.