| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James: void of angles that I blushed for the poverty of imagination
involved in my small precautions. If he was in spirits it wasn't
because he had read my review; in fact on the Sunday morning I felt
sure he hadn't read it, though THE MIDDLE had been out three days
and bloomed, I assured myself, in the stiff garden of periodicals
which gave one of the ormolu tables the air of a stand at a
station. The impression he made on me personally was such that I
wished him to read it, and I corrected to this end with a
surreptitious hand what might be wanting in the careless
conspicuity of the sheet. I'm afraid I even watched the result of
my manoeuvre, but up to luncheon I watched in vain.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Burning Daylight by Jack London: weeks dragged out, and the strike held. The Coastwise Steam
Navigation Company, and the Hawaiian, Nicaraguan, and
Pacific-Mexican Steamship Company were tied up completely. The
expenses of combating the strike were tremendous, and they were
earning nothing, while daily the situation went from bad to
worse, until "peace at any price" became the cry. And still
there was no peace, until Daylight and his allies played out
their hand, raked in the winnings, and allowed a goodly portion
of a continent to resume business.
It was noted, in following years, that several leaders of workmen
built themselves houses and blocks of renting flats and took
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: with curiosity. He noted the strange contrast of
primitive weapons and apparel, and the easy, fluent
French which the man spoke. The former denoted the
lowest, the latter the highest type of culture. He
could not quite determine the social status of this
strange creature; but he knew that he did not relish
the easy assurance with which the fellow presumed to
dictate when he might take possession of the prisoner.
"Pardon me," he said, stepping forward and placing his
hand on Werper's other shoulder; "but this gentleman is
my prisoner. He must come with me."
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar |
