| 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: Wyandot chieftain, remains neutral, to be sure, but that's almost as helpful
as his friendship."
"I, too, take a hopeful view of the situation," replied Edwards.
"We'll trust in Providence, and do our best," said Heckewelder, as he turned
his horse. "Good-by."
"Godspeed!" called Edwards, as his chief rode away.
The missionary resumed his work of getting breakfast. He remained in doors all
that day, except for the few moments when he ran over to Mr. Wells' cabin to
inquire regarding Nell's condition. He was relieved to learn she was so much
better that she had declared her intention of moving about the house. Dave
kept a close watch on Young. He, himself, was suffering from the same blow
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 The Talisman by Walter Scott: estimated Edith's strength of mind, called to Blondel to assume
his seat and commence his lay, declaring that minstrelsy was
worth every other recipe to recall a Plantagenet to life. "Sing
us," he said, "that song of the Bloody Vest, of which thou didst
formerly give me the argument ere I left Cyprus. Thou must be
perfect in it by this time, or, as our yeomen say, thy bow is
broken."
The anxious eye of the minstrel, however, dwelt on Edith, and it
was not till he observed her returning colour that he obeyed the
repeated commands of the King. Then, accompanying his voice with
the harp, so as to grace, but yet not drown, the sense of what he
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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 Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: and that of the feet stretched out before her, showed the prostration
of one who loses consciousness of physical being in the concentration
of powers absorbed in a fixed idea: she was following its gleams in
the far future, just as sometimes on the shores of the sea, we gaze at
a ray of sunlight which pierces the clouds and draws a luminous line
to the horizon.
The hands of this woman hung nerveless outside the arms of her chair,
and her head, as if too heavy to hold up, lay back upon its cushions.
A dress of white cambric, very full and flowing, hindered any judgment
as to the proportions of her figure, and the bust was concealed by the
folds of a scarf crossed on the bosom and negligently knotted. If the
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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 Summer by Edith Wharton: me," he said.
She got down and followed him while Liff led the
horse away. As she approached the door she said
to herself: "This is where I was born...this is where I
belong...." She had said it to herself often enough as
she looked across the sunlit valleys at the Mountain;
but it had meant nothing then, and now it had become a
reality. Mr. Miles took her gently by the arm, and
they entered what appeared to be the only room in the
house. It was so dark that she could just discern a
group of a dozen people sitting or sprawling about a
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