| 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: rugged canon was hidden the secret stronghold of the master
outlaw Cheseldine. All down along the ride from El Paso Duane
had heard of Cheseldine, of his band, his fearful deeds, his
cunning, his widely separated raids, of his flitting here and
there like a Jack-o'-lantern; but never a word of his den,
never a word of his appearance.
Next morning Duane did not return to Ord. He struck off to the
north, riding down a rough, slow-descending road that appeared
to have been used occasionally for cattle-driving. As he had
ridden in from the west, this northern direction led him into
totally unfamiliar country. While he passed on, however, he
The Lone Star Ranger |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey: last she surmounted it and sat alone on the heights, with naked eyes, and
an unconscious prayer on her lips.
What was it that had happened? Could there be here a different answer from
that which always mocked her?
She had been a girl, not accountable for loss of mother, for choice of home
and education. She had belonged to a class. She had grown to womanhood in
it. She had loved, and in loving had escaped the evil of her day, if not
its taint. She had lived only for herself. Conscience had awakened--but,
alas! too late. She had overthrown the sordid, self-seeking habit of life;
she had awakened to real womanhood; she had fought the insidious spell of
modernity and she had defeated it; she had learned the thrill of taking
The Call of the Canyon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: ambiguous words, by which she expressed the annoyance she felt with
the secretary for presuming to interfere with her private parties, to
which she admitted only a select few. She left the room without bowing
to Rabourdin, who remained alone with des Lupeaulx; the latter was
twisting in his fingers the confidential letter to the minister which
Rabourdin had intrusted to La Briere. Rabourdin recognized it.
"You have never really known me," said des Lupeaulx. "Friday evening
we will come to a full understanding. Just now I must go and receive
callers; his Excellency saddles me with that burden when he has other
matters to attend to. But I repeat, Rabourdin, don't worry yourself;
you have nothing to fear."
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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 Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: calabash, for he was one that loved curiosities. Now he had no
sooner laid hand upon the calabash than that which he handled, and
that which he saw and stood on, burst like a bubble and was gone;
and night closed upon him, and the waters, and the meshes of the
net; and he wallowed there like a fish.
"A body would think there was something in this," said the
missionary. "But if these tales are true, I wonder what about my
tales!"
Now the flaming of Akaanga's torch drew near in the night; and the
misshapen hands groped in the meshes of the net; and they took the
missionary between the finger and the thumb, and bore him dripping
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