| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: pestering him to trade. Finding other means unavailing, he
suddenly changed his tone, and began to jeer and banter him upon
the mean prices he offered. This was too much for the patience of
the captain, who was never remarkable for relishing a joke,
especially when at his own expense. Turning suddenly upon his
persecutor, he snatched the proffered otter-skin from his hands,
rubbed it in his face, and dismissed him over the side of the
ship with no very complimentary application to accelerate his
exit. He then kicked the peltries to the right and left about
the deck, and broke up the market in the most ignominious manner.
Old Nookamis made for shore in a furious passion, in which he was
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Tales of the Klondyke by Jack London: more mens come from Circle City, and dey say no, das thees mans,
Daveed Payne, come Dawson leel tam back. So madame and I go not
'tall.
"Oui, m'sieu. Thees day madame spik. 'Pierre,' her spik, and gif
me five hundred dollar, 'go buy poling-boat. To-morrow we go up
de river.' Ah, oui, to-morrow, up de river, and das dam Sitka
Charley mak me pay for de poling-boat five hundred dollar. Dam!"
Thus it was, when Jack Coughran unburdened himself next day, that
Dawson fell to wondering who was this David Payne, and in what way
his existence bore upon Karen Sayther's. But that very day, as
Pierre Fontaine had said, Mrs. Sayther and her barbaric crew of
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James: the figure in the carpet through every convolution, to reproduce it
in every tint. The result, according to my friend, would be the
greatest literary portrait ever painted, and what he asked of me
was just to be so good as not to trouble him with questions till he
should hang up his masterpiece before me. He did me the honour to
declare that, putting aside the great sitter himself, all aloft in
his indifference, I was individually the connoisseur he was most
working for. I was therefore to be a good boy and not try to peep
under the curtain before the show was ready: I should enjoy it all
the more if I sat very still.
I did my best to sit very still, but I couldn't help giving a jump
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