| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Good-bye!" he said.
"I can scarce believe that it is really you," I exclaimed.
"Tomorrow I will be sure that I have dreamed all this."
He laughed and drawing his sword scratched a rude cross upon the
concrete of one of the arches.
"If you are in doubt tomorrow," he said, "come and see if you
dreamed this."
A moment later he was gone.
JETAN, OR MARTIAN CHESS
FOR those who care for such things, and would like to try the
game, I give the rules of Jetan as they were given me by John
The Chessmen of Mars |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Red Inn by Honore de Balzac: adversary; hoping to lose my money. The wish was granted; the player
left the table and I took his place, face to face with the murderer.
"Monsieur," I said, while he dealt the cards, "may I ask if you are
Monsieur Frederic Taillefer, whose family I know very well at
Beauvais?"
"Yes, monsieur," he answered.
He dropped the cards, turned pale, put his hands to his head and rose,
asking one of the bettors to take his hand.
"It is too hot here," he cried; "I fear--"
He did not end the sentence. His face expressed intolerable suffering,
and he went out hastily. The master of the house followed him and
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