| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: Wetzel groaned.
"This ain't comfortable," growled Zane, in a low whisper. "Them red devils are
up to somethin' bad. They'd better not move round over here."
The hunters, satisfied that the two isolated savages meant mischief, turned
their gaze once more toward the maple grove.
"Ah! Simon you white traitor! See him, Lew, comin' with his precious gang,"
said Jonathan. "He's got the whole thing fixed, you can plainly see that. Bill
Elliott, McKee; and who's that renegade with Jim Girty? I'll allow he must be
the fellar we heard was with the Chippewas. Tough lookin' customer; a good
mate fer Jim Girty! A fine lot of border-hawks!"
"Somethin' comin' off," whispered Wetzel, as Zane's low growl grew
The Spirit of the Border |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: putting things in order was not so agreeable; but Mrs. Shelldrake
and Perkins undertook the work, and we did not think it necessary
to interfere with them. Half an hour afterwards, when the full
moon had risen, we took our chairs upon the sloop, to enjoy the
calm, silver night, the soft sea-air, and our summer's residence in
anticipatory talk.
"`My friends,' said Hollins (and HIS hobby, as you may remember,
Ned, was the organization of Society, rather than those reforms
which apply directly to the Individual),--`my friends, I think we
are sufficiently advanced in progressive ideas to establish our
little Arcadian community upon what I consider the true basis: not
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: owner, the underwriters, and the charterers squabbled
amongst themselves in London, and our pay went on.
. . . Pass the bottle.
"It was horrid. Morally it was worse than pumping
for life. It seemed as though we had been forgotten by
the world, belonged to nobody, would get nowhere; it
seemed that, as if bewitched, we would have to live for
ever and ever in that inner harbor, a derision and a by-
word to generations of long-shore loafers and dishonest
boatmen. I obtained three months' pay and a five days'
leave, and made a rush for London. It took me a day
Youth |
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 Blix by Frank Norris: work for just a month, and then fire him out at the end of that
time. I don't like to lose you, but if you have an opportunity to
get in on another paper during this vacation of yours, you're at
liberty to do so, for all of me."
"Then you think my chance of coming back here would be pretty slim
if I leave for a month now?"
"That's right."
There was a silence. Condy hesitated; then he rose.
|
