| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: dollars a week if everything proved satisfactory; but they wanted
a recommendation from my last employers."
"Of course they will give you one."
"No, they would not; they were offended because I left them."
"Then you asked them?"
"Yes, I went after one this afternoon, and they would not give it
to me. I did not much expect they would, and so I informed
Messrs. Runn & Reed, the firm to which I have applied for an
engagement. I told them exactly how the case stood; that I had
demanded higher wages, and the Messrs. Sands were angry with me
for doing so, and for that reason refused the testimonial. They
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Octopus by Frank Norris: superintendents on Three and Four to send in such grain as they
had reserved for seed. On Two the wheat had not even shown
itself above the ground, while on One, the Home ranch, which was
under his own immediate supervision, the seed had already been
graded and selected.
It was Harran's intention to commence blue-stoning his seed that
day, a delicate and important process which prevented rust and
smut appearing in the crop when the wheat should come up. But,
furthermore, he wanted to find time to go to Guadalajara to meet
the Governor on the morning train. His day promised to be busy.
But as Harran was finishing his last cup of coffee, Phelps, the
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: credentials or guards among the wild desperadoes who swarmed in
war-time in the Asturian passes might consider himself fortunate
if an easy death fell to his lot. In my case I could make a
shrewd guess what would happen. A single nod of meaning, one
muttered word, dropped among the savage men with whom I should be
left, and the diamonds hidden in my boot would go neither to the
Cardinal nor back to Mademoiselle--nor would it matter to me
whither they went.
So while the others talked in their taciturn fashion, or
sometimes grinned at my gloomy face, I looked out over the brown
woods with eyes that saw yet did not see. The red squirrel
|
