Sentence:  But most of all I like to sit in the dark with all these hearty souls <WSD>sprawled</WSD> around me on the floor and hear them talk. I am sorry to say that I can never believe that floor-<WSD>sprawling</WSD> is anything but a pose; I have tried it and it is "not"<!--italicisation in original--> comfortable but it looks well in the flickering fire-light, and is in good magazine-story tradition. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To sit with the limbs spread out.