John Ames Mitchell,
The Pines of Lory — III. A Fool at Thirty
(1901)
“ On sea and sky a more melancholy tone had come,–dull, slaty grays crowding in from every quarter. And over the darkening waters there seemed a tragic note, half-threatening, intensified by every plunge of the steamer and by the swish of waters very near the deck. ”
John Ames Mitchell,
The Pines of Lory — III. A Fool at Thirty
(1901)
“ Being human, you have had, presumably, ambitions, envies, appetites, prejudices, vanities, and other human ills of which the face before you gave no indication. And so, feeling the preternatural excellence of that face a lie, you have tried to live up to it; that is, to avoid being a humbug. In short, your life has been a strenuous endeavor to be unnecessarily wise and impossibly good.”As their side of the steamer rose high above the sea, after an unusual plunge, he added: “And I am afraid you have succeeded.” ”
John Ames Mitchell,
The Pines of Lory — III. A Fool at Thirty
(1901)
“ It is impossible for any being of earthly origin to possess the celestial qualities promised in your countenance. It is out of harmony with terrestrial things. Why, when those three men put out their hands this morning for you to touch, I held my breath at their presumption. I looked for three bolts from heaven to wither the extended arms. ”
