| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: For three weeks and more, the Lycosa trails the bag of eggs hanging
to her spinnerets. The reader will remember the experiments
described in the third chapter of this volume, particularly those
with the cork ball and the thread pellet which the Spider so
foolishly accepts in exchange for the real pill. Well, this
exceedingly dull-witted mother, satisfied with aught that knocks
against her heels, is about to make us wonder at her devotion.
Whether she come up from her shaft to lean upon the kerb and bask
in the sun, whether she suddenly retire underground in the face of
danger, or whether she be roaming the country before settling down,
never does she let go her precious bag, that very cumbrous burden
The Life of the Spider |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes: for it. - Let me tell the superstitious fancy first. The Puritan
"Sabbath," as everybody knows, began at "sundown" on Saturday
evening. To such observance of it I was born and bred. As the
large, round disk of day declined, a stillness, a solemnity, a
somewhat melancholy hush came over us all. It was time for work to
cease, and for playthings to be put away. The world of active life
passed into the shadow of an eclipse, not to emerge until the sun
should sink again beneath the horizon.
It was in this stillness of the world without and of the soul
within that the pulsating lullaby of the evening crickets used to
make itself most distinctly heard, - so that I well remember I used
The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Case of the Registered Letter by Grace Isabel Colbron and Augusta Groner: the local authorities, Madam," he answered gently, a strain of pity
in his voice. "I don't exactly see how we could interfere."
"But they believe Albert guilty! They haven't given him a chance!"
"He cannot be sentenced without sufficient proof of his guilt."
"But the trial, the horrible trial - it will kill him - his heart
is weak. I thought - I thought you might send some one - some one
of your detectives - to find out the truth of the case. You must
have the best people here in Vienna. Oh, my poor Albert - "
Her voice died away in a suppressed sob, and she covered her face
to keep back the tears.
The commissioner pressed a bell on his desk. "Is Detective Joseph
|
