| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Off on a Comet by Jules Verne: and having subscribed it with his signature, turned to Nina and told
her he must have the carrier-pigeon which was nestling in her bosom.
The child's eyes filled with tears; she did not say a word,
but imprinting a kiss upon its soft plumage, she surrendered it
at once, and the message was hurriedly fastened to its neck.
The bird wheeled round and round in a few circles that widened
in their diameter, and quickly sunk to an altitude in the comet's
atmosphere much inferior to the balloon.
Some minutes more were thus consumed and the interval of distance
was reduced to less than 8,000 miles.
The velocity became inconceivably great, but the increased rate of motion
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: that came to his ears warned him that something was amiss
with his fellows.
While Tarzan had been occupied with his own devices
in the cabin of his dead sire, Taug, Teeka's mighty mate,
had been hunting a mile to the north of the tribe.
At last, his belly filled, he had turned lazily back toward
the clearing where he had last seen the tribe and presently
commenced passing its members scattered alone or in twos
or threes. Nowhere did he see Teeka or Gazan, and soon
he began inquiring of the other apes where they might be;
but none had seen them recently.
The Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Father Goriot by Honore de Balzac: and all other diseases affecting the throat, eyes, and ears!"
cried Vautrin, with a comical imitation of the volubility of a
quack at a fair. "And how much shall we say for this marvel,
gentlemen? Twopence? No. Nothing of the sort. All that is left in
stock after supplying the Great Mogul. All the crowned heads of
Europe, including the Gr-r-rand Duke of Baden, have been anxious
to get a sight of it. Walk up! walk up! gentlemen! Pay at the
desk as you go in! Strike up the music there! Brooum, la, la,
trinn! la, la, boum! boum! Mister Clarinette, there you are out
of tune!" he added gruffly; "I will rap your knuckles for you!"
"Goodness! what an amusing man!" said Mme. Vauquer to Mme.
Father Goriot |
