| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson: left 'the watch at home with the mistress'; and Sim perpetually
brandished his cudgel, and cursed his ill-fortune that it should be
sprung.
'I willna care a damn to gie the daashed scoon'rel a fair clout wi'
it,' he said. 'The daashed thing micht come sindry in ma hand.'
'Well, gentlemen,' said I, 'suppose they do come on, I think we can
give a very good account of them.' And I made my piece of holly,
Ronald's gift, the value of which I now appreciated, sing about my
head.
'Ay, man? Are ye stench?' inquired Sim, with a gleam of approval
in his wooden countenance.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: whistling bullets. A hole amid a debris of crumbling
stone offered a refuge of safety.
"Hello, partner!"
"Luis, how are you!"
"The horse threw me. They fell upon me. Then they
took my gun away. You see, they thought I was dead.
There was nothing I could do!" Luis Cervantes explained
apologetically. Then:
"Nobody threw me down," Solis said. "I'm here be-
cause I like to play safe."
The irony in Solis' voice brought a blush to Cer-
The Underdogs |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: little salon with a childlike expression of curiosity.
"They are talking of our children and our death and a lot of other
such trifles; they are counting our gold to see if we can keep five
horses in the stables. They are talking also of deeds of gift; but
there, I have forestalled them."
"How so?"
"Have I not given myself wholly to you?" he said, looking straight at
the girl, whose beauty was enhanced by the blush which the pleasure of
this answer brought to her face.
"Mamma, how can I acknowledge so much generosity."
"My dear child, you have a lifetime before you in which to return it.
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