| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Dracula by Bram Stoker: at these al fresco performances. Our correspondent naively
says that even Ellen Terry could not be so winningly attractive
as some of these grubby-faced little children pretend,
and even imagine themselves, to be.
There is, however, possibly a serious side to the question,
for some of the children, indeed all who have been missed
at night, have been slightly torn or wounded in the throat.
The wounds seem such as might be made by a rat or a small dog,
and although of not much importance individually, would tend
to show that whatever animal inflicts them has a system
or method of its own. The police of the division have been
Dracula |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Just Folks by Edgar A. Guest: A dozen hungry youngsters at a table I have seen
And their daddy didn't grumble when they licked the platter clean.
Oh, I wonder how these mothers and these fathers up-to-date
Would like the job of buying little shoes for seven or eight.
We were eight around the table in those happy days back them,
Eight that cleaned our plates of pot-pie and then passed them up again;
Eight that needed shoes and stockings, eight to wash and put to bed,
And with mighty little money in the purse, as I have said,
But with all the care we brought them, and through all the days of stress,
I never heard my father or my mother wish for less.
The Job
Just Folks |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: hundred seconds more of agonised suspense, with shame and
death thus visibly approaching. But the indomitable Wicks
persevered. His face was like a skull, his voice scarce
recognisable; the dullest of men and officers (it seemed) must
have remarked that telltale countenance and broken utterance.
And still he persevered, bent upon certitude.
"Nice place, Hong Kong?" he said.
"I'm sure I don't know," said the officer. "Only a day and a half
there; called for orders and came straight on here. Never heard
of such a beastly cruise." And he went on describing and
lamenting the untoward fortunes of the Tempest.
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