| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from My Antonia by Willa Cather: On the blank wall at my left the dark, old-fashioned wall-paper was
covered by a large map of ancient Rome, the work of some German scholar.
Cleric had ordered it for me when he was sending for books from abroad.
Over the bookcase hung a photograph of the Tragic Theatre at Pompeii,
which he had given me from his collection.
When I sat at work I half-faced a deep, upholstered chair which
stood at the end of my table, its high back against the wall.
I had bought it with great care. My instructor sometimes looked in upon
me when he was out for an evening tramp, and I noticed that he was
more likely to linger and become talkative if I had a comfortable
chair for him to sit in, and if he found a bottle of Benedictine
My Antonia |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: he wanted her, why on earth didn't she take him?"
"Maybe they quarreled," ventured Mrs. Edward Lee, who was a mild,
sickly-looking woman and seldom expressed an opinion.
"Well, that might have been," agreed Abby, "although Eudora
always had the name of having a beautiful disposition."
"I have always found," said Mrs. Joseph Glynn, with an air of
wisdom, "that it is the beautiful dispositions which are the most
set the minute they get a start the wrong way. It is the
always-flying-out people who are the easiest to get on with in
the long run."
"Well," said Abby, "maybe that is so, but folks might get worn
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Two Poets by Honore de Balzac: five hundred francs apiece, about twice as much as my three jewels put
together, and maul your type to pieces, because there is no give in
them. I haven't book-learning like you, but you keep this well in
mind, the life of the Stanhope is the death of the type. Those three
presses will serve your turn well enough, the printing will be
properly done, and folk here in Angouleme won't ask any more of you.
You may print with presses made of wood or iron or gold or silver,
THEY will never pay you a farthing more."
" 'Item,' " pursued David, " 'five thousand pounds weight of type from
M. Vaflard's foundry----' " Didot's apprentice could not help smiling
at the name.
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