| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tom Grogan by F. Hopkinson Smith: front of her, and caught her in his arms.
"No, not you go; Carl go!" he said in a firm voice, holding her
fast.
Before she could speak he snatched a handkerchief from a woman's
neck, plunged it into the water of the horse-trough, bound it
about his head, dashed up the short flight of steps, and crawled
toward the terror-stricken child. There was a quick clutch, a
bound back, and the smoke rolled over them, shutting man and child
from view.
The crowd held their breath as it waited. A man with his hair
singed and his shirt on fire staggered from the side door. In his
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: then it moved away silently as it had come, smoking and dwindling
into distance unknown.
Beside my trunk was one other, tied extravagantly with white
ribbon. The fluttering bows caught my attention, and now I
suddenly saw a perfectly new sight. The Virginian was further
down the platform, doubled up with laughing. It was good to know
that with sufficient cause he could laugh like this; a smile had
thus far been his limit of external mirth. Rice now flew against
my hat, and hissing gusts of rice spouted on the platform. All
the men left in Medicine Bow appeared like magic, and more rice
choked the atmosphere. Through the general clamor a cracked voice
The Virginian |
