| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: pursuit. The loneliness, the night, the wild, that had always
been beautiful to him, now only conveyed a sense of safety for
the present. He watched, he listened, he thought. He felt
tired, yet had no inclination to rest. He intended to be off by
dawn, heading toward the southwest. Had he a destination? It
was vague as his knowledge of that great waste of mesquite and
rock bordering the Rio Grande. Somewhere out there was a
refuge. For he was a fugitive from justice, an outlaw.
This being an outlaw then meant eternal vigilance. No home, no
rest, no sleep, no content, no life worth the livingl He must
be a lone wolf or he must herd among men obnoxious to him. If
The Lone Star Ranger |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sarrasine by Honore de Balzac: once turned his eyes. The Italian was armed with a dagger.
" 'If you come hear me,' she said, 'I shall be compelled to plunge
this blade into your heart. Go! you would despise me. I have conceived
too great a respect for your character to abandon myself to you thus.
I do not choose to destroy the sentiment with which you honor me.'
" 'Ah!' said Sarrasine, 'to stimulate a passion is a poor way to
extinguish it! Are you already so corrupt that, being old in heart,
you act like a young prostitute who inflames the emotions in which she
trades?'
" 'Why, this is Friday,' she replied, alarmed by the Frenchman's
violence.
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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 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: "Scold as much as you like, you'll never see your silly old
book again," cried Amy, getting excited in her turn.
"why not?"
"I burned it up."
"What! My little book I was so fond of, and worked over, and
meant to finish before Father got home? Have you really burned it?"
said Jo, turning very pale, while her eyes kindled and her hands
clutched Amy nervously.
"Yes, I did! I told you I'd make you pay for being so cross
yesterday, and I have, so..."
Amy got no farther, for Jo's hot temper mastered her, and
Little Women |
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 Tom Sawyer, Detective by Mark Twain: getting ready to cross-question him to death pretty soon,
and then I judged him and me would go on the stand
by and by and tell what we heard him and Jim Lane say.
But the next time I looked at Tom I got the cold shivers.
Why, he was in the brownest study you ever see--miles and
miles away. He warn't hearing a word Lem Beebe was saying;
and when he got through he was still in that brown-study,
just the same. Our lawyer joggled him, and then he looked
up startled, and says, "Take the witness if you want him.
Lemme alone--I want to think."
Well, that beat me. I couldn't understand it. And Benny
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