| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Fantastic Fables by Ambrose Bierce: neglected to bury the old man.
Jupiter and the Baby Show
JUPITER held a baby show, open to all animals, and a Monkey entered
her hideous cub for a prize, but Jupiter only laughed at her.
"It is all very well," said the Monkey, "to laugh at my offspring,
but you go into any gallery of antique sculpture and look at the
statues and busts of the fellows that you begot yourself."
"'Sh! don't expose me," said Jupiter, and awarded her the first
prize.
The Man and the Dog
A MAN who had been bitten by a Dog was told that the wound would
Fantastic Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Witch, et. al by Anton Chekhov: "you won't mend your trouble with tears. Bear it in patience,
that is all. It is written in the Scriptures: 'If anyone smite
thee on the right cheek, offer him the left one also.' . . . Aye,
aye, dearie."
Then in a low singsong murmur she told them about Moscow, about
her own life, how she had been a servant in furnished lodgings.
"And in Moscow the houses are big, built of brick," she said;
"and there are ever so many churches, forty times forty, dearie;
and they are all gentry in the houses, so handsome and so
proper!"
Marya told her that she had not only never been in Moscow, but
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Summer by Edith Wharton: than have 'em put me to all this trouble."
She paused, and Charity, seized with a desperate
longing to escape, rose to her feet and held out one of
the bills.
"Will you take that?" she asked.
"No, I won't take that, my dear; but I'll take it with
its mate, and hand you over a signed receipt if you
don't trust me."
"Oh, but I can't--it's all I've got," Charity
exclaimed.
Dr. Merkle looked up at her pleasantly from the plush
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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 A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Hajus fumed and frothed, I continued.
"You are a brave people and you love bravery, but where
was your mighty jeddak during the fighting today? I did
not see him in the thick of battle; he was not there. He
rends defenseless women and little children in his lair, but
how recently has one of you seen him fight with men? Why,
even I, a midget beside him, felled him with a single blow
of my fist. Is it of such that the Tharks fashion their jeddaks?
There stands beside me now a great Thark, a mighty warrior
and a noble man. Chieftains, how sounds, Tars Tarkas,
Jeddak of Thark?"
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