| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: village that very night, and was his guest till the midnight train
came along. I overheard him make that remark to the stranger in the
dark--it was in Hale Alley. He and I talked of it the rest of the
way home, and while smoking in his house. He mentioned many of your
villagers in the course of his talk--most of them in a very
uncomplimentary way, but two or three favourably: among these
latter yourself. I say 'favourably'--nothing stronger. I remember
his saying he did not actually LIKE any person in the town--not one;
but that you--I THINK he said you--am almost sure--had done him a
very great service once, possibly without knowing the full value of
it, and he wished he had a fortune, he would leave it to you when he
 The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: shut myself up in my own room and study the scroll
until I knew how to be good -- hee, heek, keek, eek,
eek! --to be good! Clever idea, that, wasn't it? Mighty
clever! And I issued a decree that no one should enter
my room, under pain of my royal displeasure, until I
was ready to come out. They're awfully afraid of my
royal displeasure, although not a bit afraid of me.
Then I put the parchment in my pocket and escaped
through the back door to my boat -- and here I am. Oo,
hoo-hoo, keek-eek! Imagine the fuss there would be in
Gilgad if my subjects knew where I am this very
 Rinkitink In Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: stood ready on his lips, and lamely substitute a "No--no more
wine, please, Mr. Dodd!" Nor was this all: for when the affair
was settled at fifty dollars a pound--a shrewd stroke of business
for my creditors--and our friends had got on board their
whaleboat and shoved off, it appeared they were imperfectly
acquainted with the conveyance of sound upon still water, and I
had the joy to overhear the following testimonial.
"Deep man, that Dodd," said Sharpe.
And the bass-toned Fowler echoed, "Damned if I understand
his game."
Thus we were left once more alone upon the Norah Creina; and
|