| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: "The brig is where no Orang Blanda can lay his hands on her,"
said Dain, with a gloomy tone in his voice, which Almayer, in his
elation, failed to notice.
"Right," he said. "But where are all your men? There are only
two with you."
"Listen, Tuan Almayer," said Dain. "To-morrow's sun shall see me
in your house, and then we will talk. Now I must go to the
Rajah."
"To the Rajah! Why? What do you want with Lakamba?"
"Tuan, to-morrow we talk like friends. I must see Lakamba
to-night."
 Almayer's Folly |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heart of the West by O. Henry: elements did not lack a champion that night. Judge Menefee was
attorney for the storm. The weather was his client, and he strove by
special pleading to convince his companions in that frigid jury-box
that they sojourned in a bower of roses, beset only by benignant
zephyrs. He drew upon a fund of gaiety, wit, and anecdote,
sophistical, but crowned with success. His cheerfulness communicated
itself irresistibly. Each one hastened to contribute his own quota
toward the general optimism. Even the lady passenger was moved to
expression.
"I think it is quite charming," she said, in her slow, crystal tones.
At intervals some one of the passengers would rise and humorously
 Heart of the West |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: [5] Cf. "Anab." IV. viii. 28; and so the Georgians to this day
(Chardin ap. Courier, op. cit. p. 70, n. 1).
[6] Lit. "as are those of the Hellenes."
Nor must we omit another topic: how the rider is to accomodate himself
to these several movements.[7] Thus, when the horse breaks off into a
gallop, the rider ought to bend forward, since the horse will be less
likely to slip from under; and so to pitch his rider off. So again in
pulling him up short[8] the rider should lean back; and thus escape a
shock. In leaping a ditch or tearing up a steep incline, it is no bad
plan to let go the reins and take hold of the mane, so that the animal
may not feel the burthen of the bit in addition to that of the ground.
 On Horsemanship |