The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Cruise of the Jasper B. by Don Marquis: a shout of gusty mirth, and a clanking of his manacles: "Swords,
eh? By God! The little man says SWORDS!"
Wilton Barnstable drew Cleggett to one side.
"Name pistols," he said. "For God's sake, Cleggett, name
pistols! If I had had any idea that you were going to demand
rapiers I should have warned you before."
Cleggett was amused at the great detective's anxiety. "It
appears that the fellow handles the rapier pretty well, eh?" he
said easily.
"Cleggett----" began Barnstable. And then he paused and groaned
and mopped his brow. Presently he controlled his agitation and
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Roads of Destiny by O. Henry: and effect.
"Governor," he said, with a keen look in his big, ox-like eyes,
"you've been complaining to Billy about your rheumatism."
"My dear General," replied the Governor, stiffly, "my son is forty-
two. He is quite capable of deciding such questions for himself. And
I, as his parent, feel it my duty to state that your remark about--er
--rheumatism is a mighty poor shot from a very small bore, sir, aimed
at a purely personal and private affliction."
"If you will allow me," retorted the General, "you've afflicted the
public with it for some time; and 'twas no small bore, at that."
This first tiff between the two old comrades might have grown into
|
The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Sanitary and Social Lectures by Charles Kingsley: them the water off our moors."
"No, no, my boy,
"He that will not when he may,
When he will, he shall have nay.
Some fifteen years ago the Londoners might have had water from us;
and I was one of those who did my best to get it for them: but
the water companies did not choose to take it; and now this part
of England is growing so populous and so valuable that it wants
all its little rainfall for itself. So there is another leaf torn
out of the Sibylline books for the poor old water companies. You
do not understand: you will some day. But you may comfort
|
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 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain: borders of it. As to destruction of life, it was amazing.
Moreover, it was beyond estimate. Of course, we
could not COUNT the dead, because they did not exist
as individuals, but merely as homogeneous protoplasm,
with alloys of iron and buttons.
No life was in sight, but necessarily there must have
been some wounded in the rear ranks, who were carried
off the field under cover of the wall of smoke; there
would be sickness among the others -- there always is,
after an episode like that. But there would be no
reinforcements; this was the last stand of the chivalry
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |