| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Street of Seven Stars by Mary Roberts Rinehart: there, decided to go into a pension and suggested moving to the
Waldheim.
Stewart himself was wretchedly uncomfortable. Marie's tragedy was
his predicament. He disliked himself very cordially, loathing
himself and his situation with the new-born humility of the
lover. For Stewart was in love for the first time in his life.
Marie knew it. She had not lived with him for months without
knowing his every thought, every mood. She grew bitter and hard
those days, sitting alone by the green stove in the Pension
Waldheim, or leaning, elbows on the rail, looking from the
balcony over the valley far below. Bitter and hard, that is,
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Village Rector by Honore de Balzac: to Madame Graslin, brought her the following letter:--
To Madame Graslin:
My dear Child,--It was difficult to find horses, but I hope you
are satisfied with those I sent you. If you want work or draft
horses, you must look elsewhere. In any case, however, I advise
you to do your tilling and transportation with oxen. All the
countries where agriculture is carried on with horses lose capital
when the horse is past work; whereas cattle always return a profit
to those who use them.
I approve in every way of your enterprise, my child; you will thus
employ the passionate activity of your soul, which was turning
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: want to be back here by termorrer sundown."
"Not I," said Joe, with his short, cool laugh.
The old frontiersman slowly finished his task of coiling up a rope of wet
cowhide, and then, producing a dirty pipe, he took a live ember from the fire
and placed it on the bowl. He sucked slowly at the pipe-stem, and soon puffed
out a great cloud of smoke. Sitting on a log, he deliberately surveyed the
robust shoulders and long, heavy limbs of the young man, with a keen
appreciation of their symmetry and strength. Agility, endurance and courage
were more to a borderman than all else; a new-comer on the frontier was always
"sized-up" with reference to these "points," and respected in proportion to
the measure in which he possessed them.
The Spirit of the Border |
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 The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: another peep at the Lion, "if that is the case you may come in,
and I will give you some supper and a place to sleep."
So they all entered the house, where there were, besides the
woman, two children and a man. The man had hurt his leg, and was
lying on the couch in a corner. They seemed greatly surprised to
see so strange a company, and while the woman was busy laying the
table the man asked:
"Where are you all going?"
"To the Emerald City," said Dorothy, "to see the Great Oz."
"Oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "Are you sure that Oz will see you?"
"Why not?" she replied.
The Wizard of Oz |
