| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: in their great wisdom cast but an eye towards the deplorable case
of their old philomath, that annually bestows his poetical good
wishes on them, I am sure there is one Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq;
would soon be truss'd up for his bloody predictions, and putting
good subjects in terror of their lives: And that henceforward to
murder a man by way of prophecy, and bury him in a printed
letter, either to a lord or commoner, shall as legally entitle
him to the present possession of Tyburn, as if he robb'd on the
highway, or cut your throat in bed.
I shall demonstrate to the judicious, that France and Rome are at
the bottom of this horrid conspiracy against me; and that culprit
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: out to each other, but the roaring wind and the boom-
ing thunder-blasts drowned their voices utterly. How-
ever, one by one they straggled in at last and took
shelter under the tent, cold, scared, and streaming
with water; but to have company in misery seemed
something to be grateful for. They could not talk, the
old sail flapped so furiously, even if the other noises
would have allowed them. The tempest rose higher
and higher, and presently the sail tore loose from its
fastenings and went winging away on the blast. The
boys seized each others' hands and fled, with many
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: excused I will take my leave. I thank you for the great favour
which you have shown me in granting my petition. I ask the Chair to
keep the sack for me until to-morrow, and to hand these three five-
hundred-dollar notes to Mr. Richards." They were passed up to the
Chair.
"At nine I will call for the sack, and at eleven will deliver the
rest of the ten thousand to Mr. Richards in person at his home.
Good-night."
Then he slipped out, and left the audience making a vast noise,
which was composed of a mixture of cheers, the "Mikado" song, dog-
disapproval, and the chant, "You are f-a-r from being a b-a-a-d man-
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
