| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: "How if the gallows be so near at hand?"
"It was not so," said the Earl, "that my fathers did in the ancient
ages. I am like the man, and can give you neither a better reason
nor a worse. But do you, prithee, speak with him again."
So the Earl's daughter spoke to the man. "If you were not so
bitter ugly," quoth she, "my father the Earl would have us marry."
"Bitter ugly am I," said the man, "and you as fair as May. Bitter
ugly I am, and what of that? It was so my fathers - "
"In the name of God," said the Earl's daughter, "let your fathers
be!"
"If I had done that," said the man, "you had never been chaffering
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Protagoras by Plato: great speakers about these matters, he might perhaps hear as fine a
discourse; but then when one has a question to ask of any of them, like
books, they can neither answer nor ask; and if any one challenges the least
particular of their speech, they go ringing on in a long harangue, like
brazen pots, which when they are struck continue to sound unless some one
puts his hand upon them; whereas our friend Protagoras can not only make a
good speech, as he has already shown, but when he is asked a question he
can answer briefly; and when he asks he will wait and hear the answer; and
this is a very rare gift. Now I, Protagoras, want to ask of you a little
question, which if you will only answer, I shall be quite satisfied. You
were saying that virtue can be taught;--that I will take upon your
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: digestion in this swallo'-an'-get-out trough?"
"What are you doing here, then?" said I.
"Oh, pshaw! When yu' can't have what you choose, yu' just choose
what you have." And he took the bill-of-fare. I began to know
that he had something on his mind, so I did not trouble him
further.
Meanwhile he sat studying the bill-of-fare.
"Ever heard o' them?" he inquired, shoving me the spotted
document.
Most improbable dishes were there,--salmis, canapes,
supremes,--all perfectly spelt and absolutely transparent. It was
The Virginian |
