| 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: bucket thet peon's packin'," said the outlaw called Jim.
Black's head came up with the action of a hawk about to swoop.
Duane glanced from Black to the road, where he saw a crippled
peon carrying a tin bucket toward the river. This peon was a
half-witted Indian who lived in a shack and did odd jobs for
the Mexicans. Duane had met him often.
"Jim, I'll take you up," replied Black.
Something, perhaps a harshness in his voice, caused Duane to
whirl. He caught a leaping gleam in the outlaw's eye.
"Aw, Bill, thet's too fur a shot," said Jasper, as Black rested
an elbow on his knee and sighted over the long, heavy Colt. The
The Lone Star Ranger |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from God The Invisible King by H. G. Wells: or sexual impiety, a profound inconsistency. One seems to hear
their distant protests when one reads of Christ and the Magdalen, or
of Christ eating with publicans and sinners. The clergy of our own
days play the part of the New Testament Pharisees with the utmost
exactness and complete unconsciousness. One cannot imagine a modern
ecclesiastic conversing with a Magdalen in terms of ordinary
civility, unless she was in a very high social position indeed, or
blending with disreputable characters without a dramatic sense of
condescension and much explanatory by-play. Those who profess
modern religion do but follow in these matters a course entirely
compatible with what has survived of the authentic teachings 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 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: her, Eva flew from one to another, shaking hands and kissing, in
a way that Miss Ophelia afterwards declared fairly turned her stomach.
"Well!" said Miss Ophelia, "you southern children can do
something that _I_ couldn't."
"What, now, pray?" said St. Clare.
"Well, I want to be kind to everybody, and I wouldn't have
anything hurt; but as to kissing--"
"Niggers," said St. Clare, "that you're not up to,--hey?"
"Yes, that's it. How can she?"
St. Clare laughed, as he went into the passage. "Halloa, here,
what's to pay out here? Here, you all--Mammy, Jimmy, Polly,
Uncle Tom's Cabin |
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 Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: O'Connor was strangely interested in this story of treachery and
mystery. He rose with shining eyes and held out his hand. "I
don't know, seh. but I'll try damned hard to do three things:
find out what has become of the little girl, of Dave Henderson,
and of the scoundrel who stole your baby because he thought the
map was in the pocket."
"You mean that you don't think Dave--"
"That is exactly what I mean. Your cook, Anderson, kidnapped the
child, looks like to me. I saw that locket Collins found. My
guess was that the marks on the end of the chain were deep teeth
marks. The man that stole your baby tried first to cut the chain
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