| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from McTeague by Frank Norris: his pockets; but McTeague had no revolver; not even a
hunting knife.
"What did you do with that money, with that five thousand
dollars?"
"It's on the mule," answered McTeague, sullenly.
Marcus grunted, and cast a glance at the mule, who was
standing some distance away, snorting nervously, and from
time to time flattening his long ears.
"Is that it there on the horn of the saddle, there in that
canvas sack?" Marcus demanded.
"Yes, that's it."
McTeague |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: calls him 'Big Jim.' You might not think Jim could be a good
mother just to look at him, but he is; only, sometimes, you can't
tell him things you could a real mother," she added, half sadly.
"And your real mother went away when you were very young?"
"No, she didn't go AWAY----"
"No?" There was a puzzled note in the pastor's voice.
"She went out," Polly corrected.
"Out!" he echoed blankly.
"Yes--finished-- Lights out."
"Oh, an accident." Douglas understood at last.
"I don't like to talk about it." Polly raised herself on her
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: The crabs hung on the branches as thick as beads on a string,
purple-red, with a thin silvery glaze over them. Some hens and ducks
had crept through the hedge and were pecking at the fallen apples.
The drakes were handsome fellows, with pinkish grey bodies,
their heads and necks covered with iridescent green feathers
which grew close and full, changing to blue like a peacock's neck.
Antonia said they always reminded her of soldiers--some uniform
she had seen in the old country, when she was a child.
`Are there any quail left now?' I asked. I reminded her how she
used to go hunting with me the last summer before we moved to town.
`You weren't a bad shot, Tony. Do you remember how you used to want
My Antonia |
