| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Gentle Grafter by O. Henry: see him. Get away from the transmitter. Now make him trot in a circle.
Faster. Yes, I can hear him. Keep on--faster yet. . . . That'll do.
Now lead him up to the phone. Closer. Get his nose nearer. There. Now
wait. No; I don't want that horse. What? No; not at any price. He
interferes; and he's windbroken. Goodbye.'
"'Now, Bunk,' says the farmer, 'do you begin to realize that
agriculture has had a hair cut? You belong in a bygone era. Why, Tom
Lawson himself knows better than to try to catch an up-to-date
agriculturalist napping. It's Saturday, the Fourteenth, on the farm,
you bet. Now, look here, and see how we keep up with the day's
doings.'
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: disposed to resent it, if there had been any way for her to do
so. She had not yet learned to bear up against the misfortunes of
trade, and her eye followed the sour gentleman far down the
street. Why should he treat her in such a rude and unkind manner?
What would he say if she should tell him that her grandfather was
a great Liverpool merchant, lived in a big house, and had lots of
servants to wait upon him? She was as good as he was, any day.
"Give me a stick of candy," said a nice little girl with a silk
dress on, whom a lady was holding by the hand, at the same time
placing a cent on her tray.
Katy started at the words, and reproved herself for her want of
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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 Elizabeth and her German Garden by Marie Annette Beauchamp: and are exactly the same as English ones."
"Oh, but they can't be just the same, you know,"
said Minora, looking worried. "It must make a difference
living here in this place, and eating such odd things,
and never having a doctor, and never being ill.
Children who have never had measles and those things can't
be quite the same as other children; it must all be in
their systems and can't get out for some reason or other.
And a child brought up on chicken and rice-pudding must be
different to a child that eats Spickgans and liver sausages.
And they are different; I can't tell in what way, but they
Elizabeth and her German Garden |
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 Emma McChesney & Co. by Edna Ferber: like your chops done just so, and your wine at such-and-such a
temperature; get close to your trade. They're an awfully human
lot, those Middle Western buyers. Don't chuck them under the
chin, but smile on 'em. And you've got a lovely smile, T. A."
Buck looked up from the little leather book. And, as he gazed at
Emma McChesney, the smile appeared and justified its praise.
"I'll have this to comfort me, anyway, Emma. I'll know that
while I'm smirking on the sprightly Miss Sweeney, your face will
be undergoing various agonizing twists in the effort to make
American prices understood by an Argentine who can't speak
anything but Spanish."
Emma McChesney & Co. |
