Today's Stichomancy for Billy Joel

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gambara by Honore de Balzac:

Cardinal, whose household was not yet complete. Giardini fancied he had an opportunity for distinguishing himself--and he succeeded! for that same evening he was accused of trying to poison the whole conclave, and was obliged to leave Rome and Italy without waiting to pack up. This disaster was the last straw. Now," and Gambara put his finger to his forehead and shook his head.

"He is a good fellow, all the same," he added. "My wife will tell you that we owe him many a good turn."

Giardini now came in carefully bearing a dish which he set in the middle of the table, and he then modestly resumed his seat next to Andrea, whom he served first. As soon as he had tasted the mess, the

Gambara

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde:

n'est-ce pas, Narraboth? Vous ferez cela pour moi? J'ai toujours ete douce pour vous. N'est-ce pas que vous ferez cela pour moi? Je veux seulement le regarder, cet etrange prophete. On a tant parle de lui. J'ai si souvent entendu le tetrarque parler de lui. Je pense qu'il a peur de lui, le tetrarque. Je suis sure qu'il a peur de lui . . . Est-ce que vous aussi, Narraboth, est-ce que vous aussi vous en avez peur?

LE JEUNE SYRIEN. Je n'ai pas peur de lui, princesse. Je n'ai peur de personne. Mais le tetrarque a formellement defendu qu'on leve le couvercle de ce puits.

SALOME. Vous ferez cela pour moi, Narraboth, et demain quand je

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield:

father in the morning, whatever happened. And now they were going to open the door without knocking even...Constantia's eyes were enormous at the idea; Josephine felt weak in the knees.

"You--you go first," she gasped, pushing Constantia.

But Constantia said, as she always had said on those occasions, "No, Jug, that's not fair. You're the eldest."

Josephine was just going to say--what at other times she wouldn't have owned to for the world--what she kept for her very last weapon, "But you're the tallest," when they noticed that the kitchen door was open, and there stood Kate...

"Very stiff," said Josephine, grasping the doorhandle and doing her best to

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 Children of the Night by Edwin Arlington Robinson:

Strange that I did not know him then, That friend of mine! I did not even show him then One friendly sign;

But cursed him for the ways he had To make me see My envy of the praise he had For praising me.

I would have rid the earth of him Once, in my pride! . . . I never knew the worth of him