| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini: a challenge. Sandow, then a youth without
reputation, accepted the challenge, went upon
the stage, defeated him, and, since Samson's
act had been the talk of the town, thus brought
himself into instant notice, the beginning of a
career in which he rose to the top of his
profession. After several successful years on the
stage, Sandow settled down in London, where
I last heard of him as conducting a school of
instruction in health and strength methods.
In the tradition of the ``Female Sampsons''
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: "I seen Injun sign," said Wetzel. "There's no tellin' how soon we may run agin
the sneaks. We can't hunt here. Like as not there's Hurons and Delawares
skulkin' round. I think I'd better take you back to the village."
"It's all on my account you say that," said Joe.
"Sure," Wetzel replied.
"If you were alone what would you do?"
"I calkilate I'd hunt fer some red-skinned game."
The supreme moment had come. Joe's heart beat hard. He could not miss this
opportunity; he must stay with the hunter. He looked closely at Wetzel.
"I won't go back to the village," he said.
The hunter stood in his favorite position, leaning on his long rifle, and made
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Bab:A Sub-Deb, Mary Roberts Rinehart by Mary Roberts Rinehart: "Whose Wedding?" he said.
"Well," I said. "You've got to Daughters and we might as well look ahead."
"I intend to have to Daughters," he said, "for some time to come.
And while we're on the subject, Bab, I've got somthing to say to
you. Don't let that romantic head of yours get filled up with
Sweethearts, because you are still a little girl, with all your
airs. If I find any boys mooning around here, I'll--I'll shoot them."
Ye gods! How intracate my life was becoming! I engaged and my
masculine parent convercing in this homacidal manner! I withdrew to
my room and there, when Jane Raleigh came later, told her the
terrable news.
|
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 Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson: creep round about the head of that river and come down by Kippen
or Balfron, it's just precisely there that they'll be looking to
lay hands on us. But if we stave on straight to the auld Brig of
Stirling, I'll lay my sword they let us pass unchallenged."
The first night, accordingly, we pushed to the house of a
Maclaren in Strathire, a friend of Duncan's, where we slept the
twenty-first of the month, and whence we set forth again about
the fall of night to make another easy stage. The twenty-second
we lay in a heather bush on the hillside in Uam Var, within view
of a herd of deer, the happiest ten hours of sleep in a fine,
breathing sunshine and on bone-dry ground, that I have ever
Kidnapped |
