| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: satin.
"He is waking up," said the man, in a hushed, almost reverent
voice.
Eudora nodded. She went toward the cradle, and the man followed.
She lifted the curtain of lace, and there became visible little
feebly waving pink arms and hands, like tentacles of love, and a
little puckered pink face which was at once ugly and divinely
beautiful.
"A fine boy," said the man. The baby made a grimace at him which
was hideous but lovely.
"I do believe he thinks he knows you," said Eudora, foolishly.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: that time, old cull!"
The preacher's eyes sought Mary's:
"I, Mary, take thee, James, to my wedded husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward, for better
for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death do us
part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I
give thee my troth."
In the sweetest musical voice, quivering with
happiness, the girl repeated the words.
Again the preacher's eyes sought Jim's:
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Mother by Owen Wister: about 3 1-2 per cent, as I have already shown you. Anybody can do it.'"
These words of Mr. Beverly made me feel that I did not want to do what
anybody could do. 'There is another kind of safety which I call
thoughtful safety,' said he. 'Thoughtful, because it requires you to
investigate properties and their earnings, and generally to use your
independent judgment after a good deal of work. And all this a trustee
greatly dislikes. It rewards you with five and even six per cent, but
that is no stimulus to a trustee.'"
"Something in me had leaped when Mr. Beverly mentioned six per cent.
Again I thought of Ethel and October, and what a difference it would be
to begin our modest housekeeping on sixty instead of forty thousand
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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 Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: dissolving of the veils of the soul.
So looked they at each other, the horses bounding beneath them, the spring of
the world and the spring of their youth astir in their blood, the secret of
being trembling in their eyes to the brink of disclosure, as if about to
dispel, with one magic word, all the irks and riddles of existence.
The road curved before them, so that the upper reaches of the canyon could be
seen, the distant bed of it towering high above their heads. They were
rounding the curve, leaning toward the inside, gazing before them at the
swift-growing picture. There was no sound of warning. She heard nothing, but
even before the horse went down she experienced the feeling that the unison of
the two leaping animals was broken. She turned her head, and so quickly that
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