| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tattine by Ruth Ogden [Mrs. Charles W. Ide]: allowed,' " she said to herself sorrowfully, and she ran off to tell her
Mother of this latest tragedy.
"Yes, I know, Tattine dear," said Mrs. Gerald, in the first pause; "there is
neither pity nor mercy in the heart of a setter when he is on the scent of a
rabbit, alive or dead--but, Tattine, don't forget they have their good sides,
Doctor and Betsy; just think how fond they are of you and me. Why, the very
sight of us always makes them beat a tattoo with their tails."
"Yes, I know, Mamma, but I can't feel somehow that tattoos with their tails
make up for killing rabbits with their teeth."
CHAPTER II. A MAPLE-WAX MORNING
A team came rushing in between the gate-posts of the stone wall, and it looked
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Cousin Betty by Honore de Balzac: breakfast by half-past eleven.
"I have promised our guests that we will sit at table till the
evening. There will be Bixiou, your old official chum du Tillet,
Lousteau, Vernisset, Leon de Lora, Vernou, all the wittiest men in
Paris, who will not know that we are married. We will play them a
little trick, we will get just a little tipsy, and Lisbeth must join
us. I want her to study matrimony; Bixiou shall make love to her, and
--and enlighten her darkness."
For two hours Madame Marneffe went on talking nonsense, and Crevel
made this judicious reflection:
"How can so light-hearted a creature be utterly depraved? Feather-
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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 The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories by Alice Dunbar: Annette's teacher began to note a wonderful improvement in his
pupil's voice. Never did a girl study so hard or practise so
faithfully. It was truly wonderful. Now and then Annette would
say to papa as if to reassure herself,--
"And when Monsieur Cherbart says I am ready to go to Paris, I may
go, papa?"
And papa would say a "Certainly" that would send her back to the
piano with renewed ardour.
As for Monsieur LeConte, he was the idol of New Orleans. Seldom
had there been a tenor who had sung himself so completely into
the very hearts of a populace. When he was billed, the opera
The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories |
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 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: asked me to nip over on the next boat. I've got to be
back on the first of June--" the voice broke into a
joyful conscious laugh--"so we must look alive. I say,
Dad, I want your help: do come."
Dallas seemed to be speaking in the room: the voice
was as near by and natural as if he had been lounging
in his favourite arm-chair by the fire. The fact would
not ordinarily have surprised Archer, for long-distance
telephoning had become as much a matter of course as
electric lighting and five-day Atlantic voyages. But the
laugh did startle him; it still seemed wonderful that
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