| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from In the South Seas by Robert Louis Stevenson: the coming and going of Marquesan visitors, tapus his door; and to
this day you may see the palm-branch signal, even as our great-
grandfathers saw the peeled wand before a Highland inn. Or take
another case. Anaho is known as 'the country without popoi.' The
word popoi serves in different islands to indicate the main food of
the people: thus, in Hawaii, it implies a preparation of taro; in
the Marquesas, of breadfruit. And a Marquesan does not readily
conceive life possible without his favourite diet. A few years ago
a drought killed the breadfruit trees and the bananas in the
district of Anaho; and from this calamity, and the open-handed
customs of the island, a singular state of things arose. Well-
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker: I, therefore, who both love him, though in different ways, should
make it our business to protect him from all disturbing influences.
I am sure you will agree with me that any labour to this end would
be well spent. All right, my boy! I see your answer in your eyes;
so we need say no more of that. And now," here his voice changed,
"tell me all that took place at that interview. There are strange
things in front of us--how strange we cannot at present even guess.
Doubtless some of the difficult things to understand which lie
behind the veil will in time be shown to us to see and to
understand. In the meantime, all we can do is to work patiently,
fearlessly, and unselfishly, to an end that we think is right. You
Lair of the White Worm |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: Rhoda Gray sank quickly into a vacant chair. Three men, linked arm
in arm, and decidedly more than a little drunk, were approaching
her. She turned her head away to avoid attracting their attention.
It was too free and easy here to-night, and she began to regret her
temerity at having ventured inside; she would better, perhaps, have
waited until Danglar came out - only there were two exits, and she
might have missed him - and...
A cold fear upon her, she shrank back in her chair. The three men
had halted at the table, and were clustered around her. They began
a jocular quarrel amongst themselves as to who should dance with her.
Her heart was pounding. She stood up, and pushed them away.
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