| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: time since he had known her made her splendidly stern. "How can
you understand now when you didn't understand before?"
"I didn't understand before only because I didn't know. Now that I
know, I see what I've been living with for years," Stransom went on
very gently.
She looked at him with a larger allowance, doing this gentleness
justice. "How can I then, on this new knowledge of my own, ask you
to continue to live with it?"
"I set up my altar, with its multiplied meanings," Stransom began;
but she quietly interrupted him.
"You set up your altar, and when I wanted one most I found it
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey: ringing, wild snort, he seemed to double up in muscular
convulsions and to shoot forward with an impetus that almost
unseated Venters. The sage blurred by, the trail flashed by, and
the wind robbed him of breath and hearing. Jerry Card turned once
more. And the way he shifted to Black Star showed he had to make
his last desperate running. Venters aimed to the side of the
trail and sent a bullet puffing the dust beyond Jerry. Venters
hoped to frighten the rider and get him to take to the sage. But
Jerry returned the shot, and his ball struck dangerously close in
the dust at Wrangle's flying feet. Venters held his fire then,
while the rider emptied his revolver. For a mile, with Black Star
Riders of the Purple Sage |
