| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey: horses. Spillbeans was attractive to look at, but the pleasure of riding
him was a delusion. Flo had said his gait resembled the motion of a rocking
chair. This Western girl, according to Charley, the sheep herder, was not
above playing Arizona jokes. Be that as it might, Spillbeans now manifested
a desire to remain with the other horses, and he broke out of a walk into a
trot. Carley could not keep him from trotting. Hence her state soon wore
into acute distress.
Her left ankle seemed broken. The stirrup was heavy, and as soon as she was
tired she could no longer keep its weight from drawing her foot in. The
inside of her right knee was as sore as a boil. Besides, she had other
pains, just as severe, and she stood momentarily in mortal dread of that
The Call of the Canyon |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: Indian with whom Jim had spent an earnest hour that morning; the red son of
the woods was wrapped in slumber. He had placed under his head a many-hued
homespun shirt which the young preacher had given him; but while asleep his
head had rolled off this improvised pillow, and the bright garment lay free,
attracting the eye. Certainly it had led to the train of thought which had
found lodgment in Joe's fertile brain.
The other sleeper was a short, stout man whom Joe had seen several times
before. This last fellow did not appear to be well-balanced in his mind, and
was the butt of the settlers' jokes, while the children called him "Loorey."
He, like the Indian, was sleeping off the effects of the previous night's
dissipation.
The Spirit of the Border |
