| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of the West by O. Henry: asked you to bring me to your d--d farm."
"Stand up out here in the light," said Ranse, looking at him closely.
Curly got up sullenly and took a step or two.
His face, now shaven smooth, seemed transformed. His hair had been
combed, and it fell back from the right side of his forehead with a
peculiar wave. The moonlight charitably softened the ravages of drink;
and his aquiline, well-shaped nose and small, square cleft chin almost
gave distinction to his looks.
Ranse sat on the foot of the cot and looked at him curiously.
"Where did you come from--have you got any home or folks anywhere?"
"Me? Why, I'm a dook," said Curly. "I'm Sir Reginald--oh, cheese it.
Heart of the West |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lady Baltimore by Owen Wister: "Well, he's in better luck than that Savannah dog!"
But General was not in luck. He lay quietly down at the feet of his
mistress and we soon knew that life had passed from his faithful body.
The first stroke of grief, dealt her in such cruel and sudden form,
overbore the poor girl's pride and reserve; she made no attempt to
remember or heed surroundings, but kneeling and placing her arms about
the neck of her dead servant, she spoke piteously aloud:--
"And I raised him, I raised him from a puppy!"
The female voice, at this, addressed the traveller who was examining the
automobile: "Charley, a five or a ten spot is what her feelings need."
The obedient and munificent Charley straightened up from his stooping
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Works of Samuel Johnson by Samuel Johnson: poverty, he will read of content, innocence, and
cheerfulness, of health and safety, tranquillity and
freedom; of pleasures not known but to men
unencumbered with possessions; and of sleep that
sheds his balsamick anodynes only on the cottage.
Such are the blessings to be obtained by the
resignation of riches, that kings might descend from
their thrones, and generals retire from a triumph,
only to slumber undisturbed in the elysium of
poverty.
If these authors do not deceive us, nothing can
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