| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from A Horse's Tale by Mark Twain: arm and put it in splints, she wincing but not whimpering; then we
took up the march for home, and that's the end of the tale; and I'm
her horse. Isn't she a brick, Shekels?
"Brick? She's more than a brick, more than a thousand bricks -
she's a reptile!"
"It's a compliment out of your heart, Shekels. God bless you for
it!"
CHAPTER X - GENERAL ALISON AND DORCAS
"Too much company for her, Marse Tom. Betwixt you, and Shekels,
the Colonel's wife, and the Cid - "
"The Cid? Oh, I remember - the raven."
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: I knowed he was blind on his left side because he only
nibbled the grass on the right side of the trail. I
knowed he had lost an upper front tooth because where
he bit into the sod his teeth-print showed it. The
millet-seed sifted out on one side -- the ants told me
that; the honey leaked out on the other -- the flies
told me that. I know all about your camel, but I
hain't seen him."
Jim says:
"Go on, Mars Tom, hit's a mighty good tale, and
powerful interestin'."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Silas Marner by George Eliot: Winthrop. "The old gentleman's got a gift. Why, the Squire used
to invite him to take a glass, only to hear him sing the "Red
Rovier"; didn't he, Mr. Macey? It's a nat'ral gift. There's my
little lad Aaron, he's got a gift--he can sing a tune off
straight, like a throstle. But as for you, Master Tookey, you'd
better stick to your "Amens": your voice is well enough when you
keep it up in your nose. It's your inside as isn't right made for
music: it's no better nor a hollow stalk."
This kind of unflinching frankness was the most piquant form of joke
to the company at the Rainbow, and Ben Winthrop's insult was felt by
everybody to have capped Mr. Macey's epigram.
Silas Marner |
