| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: toggery made?"
"A good deal of it is already made, as you see. I'm just making a
few changes. Do you want to try on your suit?"
"Is THIS mine?" asked the ranger, picking up with smiling
contempt the rather gaudy blouse that lay on a chair.
"Yes, sir, that is yours. Go and put it on and we'll see how it
fits."
Bucky returned a few minutes later in his gipsy uniform, with a
deprecating grin.
"I'll have to stain your face. Then you'll do very well," said
Frank, patting and pulling at the clothes here and there. "It's a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: the liquid medium, beheld the kitchen illuminated with a golden
glory, which also enveloped Tabitha and gilded her silver hair,
and converted her mean garments into robes of queenly splendor.
It reminded him of his golden dream.
"Mr. Peter," remarked Tabitha, "must the wine be drunk before the
money is found?"
"The money IS found!" exclaimed Peter, with a sort of fierceness.
"The chest is within my reach. I will not sleep, till I have
turned this key in the rusty lock. But, first of all, let us
drink!"
There being no corkscrew in the house, he smote the neck of the
Twice Told Tales |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Last War: A World Set Free by H. G. Wells: his day. Would he care to see people? Or was this gnawing pain
within him too much to permit him to do that?
'I'd like to talk,' said Karenin. 'There must be all sorts of
lively-minded people here. Let them come and gossip with me. It
will distract me--and I can't tell you how interesting it makes
everything that is going on to have seen the dawn of one's own
last day.'
'Your last day!'
'Fowler will kill me.'
'But he thinks not.'
'Fowler will kill me. If he does not he will not leave very much
The Last War: A World Set Free |
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 Madame Firmiani by Honore de Balzac: my youth--if I can."
"Uncle--"
"I saw your Madame Firmiani yesterday," went on the old fellow,
kissing the tips of his fingers, which he gathered into a bunch. "She
is charming. You have the consent and approbation of your uncle, if
that will do you any good. As to the sanction of the Church I suppose
that's useless, and the sacraments cost so much in these days. Come,
speak out, have you ruined yourself for her?"
"Yes, uncle."
"Ha! the jade! I'd have wagered it. In my time the women of the court
were cleverer at ruining a man than the courtesans of to-day; but this
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