Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2347]

I AM LITERALLY BREATHLESS from too much crisscrossing of the country. Governor Tilden’s doctor has come and gone, and although he did nothing of a constructive or curative nature, I feel somewhat better, no doubt due to an enforced rest here in a most pleasant suite at the Delavan House in Albany. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2347

Note

The passage effectively conveys the narrator’s physical and emotional state, using a conversational tone that invites empathy from the reader. The phrase ‘I AM LITERALLY BREATHLESS’ immediately captures attention and sets the stage for the weariness to come.