midnight
There came a time when the situation began to grow irksome . He had reached the point where he began to understand how limited his life was . Mathews and Howe , who drew more money , were able to live better than he . They went out to midnight suppers , theatre parties , and expeditions to the tenderloin section -LRB- not yet known by that name -RRB- . They had time to browse about the sections of the city which had peculiar charms for them as Bohemians after dark -- the levee , as a certain section of the Chicago River was called ; Gambler 's Row in South Clark Street ; the Whitechapel Club , as a certain organization of newspaper men was called , and other places frequented by the literati and the more talented of the newspaper makers . Eugene , first because of a temperament which was introspective and reflective , and second because of his æsthetic taste , which was offended by much that he thought was tawdry and cheap about these places , and third by what he considered his lack of means , took practically no part in these diversions . While he worked in his class he heard of these things -- usually the next day -- and they were amplified and made more showy and interesting by the narrative powers of the participants .