The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Polly of the Circus by Margaret Mayo: too much-- it skeers 'em. I's good enough for my old man, and I
ain't a-tryin' to get nobody else's," Mandy wound up flatly.
"But he'd like you all the better," persisted Polly, laughing.
"I don' WANT to be liked no better by NO nigger," snapped Mandy.
"I's a busy woman, I is." She made for the house, then curiosity
conquered her and she came back to Polly's side. "See here,
honey, whose been l'arnin' you all dem nonsense?"
"I learn from Mr. Douglas. I remember all the things he tells
me, and at night I write them down and say them over. Do you see
this, Mandy?" She took a small red book from her belt and put it
into Mandy's black chubby fists.
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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 The Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: so should we if we were fools enough to be drawn into a bet.
Beaudenord, feeling pinched with his eighteen thousand francs, saw the
necessity of creating what we to-day call a balance in hand. It was a
great notion of his 'not to get too deep.' He took counsel of his
sometime guardian. 'The funds are now at par, my dear boy,' quoth
d'Aiglemont; 'sell out. I have sold mine and my wife's. Nucingen has
all my capital, and is giving me six per cent; do likewise, you will
have one per cent the more upon your capital, and with that you will
be quite comfortable.'
"In three days' time our Godefroid was comfortable. His increase of
income exactly supplied his superfluities; his material happiness was
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