| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: Fairies to his aid, and asked them to bring him colored silks with
which to make a real dress for the clay image. The Fairies set off at
once on their errand, and before nightfall they returned with a
generous supply of silks and laces and golden threads.
Claus now became impatient to complete his new dolly, and instead of
waiting for the next day's sun he placed the clay image upon his
hearth and covered it over with glowing coals. By morning, when he
drew the dolly from the ashes, it had baked as hard as if it had lain
a full day in the hot sun.
Now our Claus became a dressmaker as well as a toymaker. He cut the
lavender silk, and nearly sewed it into a beautiful gown that just
 The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus |
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 Master of the World by Jules Verne: "No," I answered, "they might see us. We must lie crouched upon the
beach! Or we might hide in some crevice of the rocks."
"We will follow you."
There was not a moment to lose. The dark mass was now close at hand,
and on its deck, but slightly raised above the surface of the water,
we could trace the silhouettes of two men.
Were there, then, really only two on board?
We stole softly back to where the ravines rose toward the woods
above. Several niches in the rocks were at hand. Wells and I crouched
down in one, my two assistants in another. If the men on the "Terror"
landed, they could not see us; but we could see them, and would be
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