| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: generous rivals.
How great is the joy and how fascinating the pursuit of such an
ethereal affection! It enlarges the heart without embarrassing the
conscience. It is a cup of pure gladness with no bitterness in its
dregs. It spends the present moment with a free hand, and yet
leaves no undesirable mortgage upon the future. King Arthur, the
founder of the Round Table, expressed a conviction, according to
Tennyson, that the most important element in a young knight's
education is "the maiden passion for a maid." Surely the safest
form in which this course in the curriculum may be taken is by
falling in love with a girl in a book. It is the only affair of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: excellent tailors in Bunnybury, and Glinda supplies all the material.
By the way, you might ask the Sorceress, when you see her, to permit
me to keep my wardrobe."
"But if you go back to the forest you will not need clothes," she said.
"N--o!" he faltered; "that may be so. But I've dressed up so long
that I'm used to it, and I don't imagine I'd care to run around naked
again. So perhaps the Good Glinda will let me keep the costumes."
"I'll ask her," agreed Dorothy.
Then they left the gardens and went into a fine, big reception hall,
where rich rugs were spread upon the tiled floors and the furniture
was exquisitely carved and studded with jewels. The King's chair was
The Emerald City of Oz |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: growl, nor show his teeth; but the great white head sank forward a little, and
the lithe body crouched for a spring.
"Don't touch that dog; he'll tear your leg off!" Joe cried sharply.
"Say, pard, cum an' hev' a drink," replied the teamster, with a friendly leer.
"I don't drink," answered Joe, curtly, and moved on.
The teamster growled something of which only the word "parson" was
intelligible to the brothers. Joe stopped and looked back. His gray eyes
seemed to contract; they did not flash, but shaded and lost their warmth. Jim
saw the change, and, knowing what it signified, took Joe's arm as he gently
urged him away. The teamster's shrill voice could be heard until they entered
the fur-trader's cabin.
The Spirit of the Border |
