| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: for a minute on the poop without that thimble-rigging coon coming
gliding up. I'll tell you what. I overheard once--God knows I
didn't try to--only he forgot I was on the other side of the
skylight with my sextant--I overheard him--you know how he sits
hanging over her chair and talking away without properly opening his
mouth--yes I caught the word right enough. He was alluding to the
captain as "the jailer." The jail . . . !"
Franklin broke off with a profane execration. A silence reigned for
a long time and the slight, very gentle rolling of the ship slipping
before the N.E. trade-wind seemed to be a soothing device for
lulling to sleep the suspicions of men who trust themselves to the
Chance |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: the handsomely engraved letter "B" on its surface. An unexpected
swerve of the limousine, as the chauffeur turned short to avoid a
speeding army truck, caused both Kent and Mrs. Brewster to sway
forward and the gold mesh bag slid to the floor, carrying with it
the widow's handkerchief and gold vanity box. Kent stooped over
and picked up the articles as well as the contents of the mesh bag,
which had opened in its descent and spilled her money and papers
over the floor of the limousine.
"Oh, thank you," exclaimed Mrs. Brewster, as he handed her the bag,
box, and bank notes. "Don't bother to look for that quarter; Harris
will find it at the garage."
The Red Seal |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: still loftier barrier-cliffs fronting upon the ocean, or
westward in the direction of the inland sea was a question
which baffled me. Were there many passes or only one? I had
no way of knowing. I could but trust to chance. It never
occurred to me that Nobs had made the crossing at least once,
possibly a greater number of times, and that he might lead me
to the pass; and so it was with no idea of assistance that I
appealed to him as a man alone with a dumb brute so often does.
"Nobs," I said, "how the devil are we going to cross those cliffs?"
I do not say that he understood me, even though I realize that
an Airedale is a mighty intelligent dog; but I do swear that he
The People That Time Forgot |
