| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Chance by Joseph Conrad: Franklin?'--or anything of the sort. And that's a man who hardly
ever did anything without asking my advice. Why! He couldn't take
over a new coat from the tailor without . . . first thing, directly
the fellow came on board with some new clothes, whether in London or
in China, it would be: 'Pass the word along there for Mr. Franklin.
Mr. Franklin wanted in the cabin.' In I would go. 'Just look at my
back, Franklin. Fits all right, doesn't it?' And I would say:
'First rate, sir,' or whatever was the truth of it. That or
anything else. Always the truth of it. Always. And well he knew
it; and that's why he dared not speak right out. Talking about
workmen, alterations, cabins . . . Phoo! . . . instead of a
Chance |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: You saw, too, amid the black-clothed, mainly mas-
culine patrons of select vaudeville a hundred hands
raised with the hope of staying the flight of the bril-
liant aerial token.
Forty weeks of the best circuits this act had
brought Miss Rosalie Ray, for each of two years.
She did other things during her twelve minutes -- a
song and dance, imitations of two or three actors who
are but imitations of themselves, and a balancing
feat with a step-ladder and feather-duster; but when
the blossom-decked swing was let down from the flies,
The Voice of the City |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Faith of Men by Jack London: paper," Pentfield answered, at the same time throwing a heavy sack
of dust on the table.
"I am sorry to take your money," was the retort, as Inwood thrust
the newspaper into Pentfield's hand.
Pentfield saw, though he could not quite bring himself to believe.
Glancing through the headline, "Young Lochinvar came out of the
North," and skimming the article until the names of Mabel Holmes
and Corry Hutchinson, coupled together, leaped squarely before his
eyes, he turned to the top of the page. It was a San Francisco
paper.
"The money's yours, Inwood," he remarked, with a short laugh.
|
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 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: "Snuffbox," said Jo, in a sepulchral tone, which convulsed the
audience. "`Thankee, ' said the knight politely, as he took a pinch
and sneezed seven times so violently that his head fell off. `Ha!
Ha!' laughed the ghost, and having peeped through the keyhole at the
princesses spinning away for dear life, the evil spirit picked up
her victim and put him in a large tin box, where there were eleven
other knights packed together without their heads, like sardines,
who all rose and began to..."
"Dance a hornpipe," cut in Fred, as Jo paused for breath, "and,
as they danced, the rubbishy old castle turned to a man-of-war in
full sail. `Up with the jib, reef the tops'l halliards, helm hard
Little Women |
