| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Puck of Pook's Hill by Rudyard Kipling: waiting news. There I first saw his sister, the Lady
Aelueva, of whom he had spoken to us in France. She
cried out fiercely at me, and would have had me hanged
in that hour, but her brother said that I had spared his life
- he said not how he saved mine from the Saxons - and
that our Duke had won the day; and even while they
wrangled over my poor body, of a sudden he fell down in
a swoon from his wounds.
"'This is thy fault," said the Lady Aelueva to me, and
she kneeled above him and called for wine and cloths.
"'If I had known," I answered, "he should have ridden
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: behind!"
"Wal, I'll take my chances," replied Euchre, gruffly. "I'm
goin' to help Jennie, you can gamble your last peso on thet.
There's only four men in this camp who would shoot me--Bland,
an' his right-hand pards, an' thet rabbit-faced Benson. If you
happened to put out Bland and Chess, I'd stand a good show with
the other two. Anyway, I'm old an' tired--what's the difference
if I do git plugged? I can risk as much as you, Buck, even if I
am afraid of gun-play. You said correct, 'Hosses ready, the
right minnit, then rush the trick.' Thet much 's settled. Now
let's figger all the little details."
The Lone Star Ranger |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Heritage of the Desert by Zane Grey: cliff gate with Dave and the pack-horses, a dull ache in his heart; for
amid the cheering crowd of children and women who bade them good-bye he
had caught the wave of Mescal's hand and a look of her eyes that would be
with him always. What might happen before he returned, if he ever did
return! For he knew now, as well as he could feel Silvermane's easy
stride, that out there under the white glare of desert, the white gleam
of the slopes of Coconina, was wild life awaiting him. And he shut his
teeth, and narrowed his eyes, and faced it with an eager joy that was in
strange contrast to the pang in his breast.
That morning the wind dipped down off the Vermillion Cliffs and whipped
west; there was no scent of river-water, and Hare thought of the fatality
The Heritage of the Desert |
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 Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: clothes and donned the dainty, one-piece bathing suit.
She flew over the sand and plunged into the water
before Jim had finished changing to his suit.
She was swimming and diving like a duck in the
lazy, beautiful waters of the Gulf when he reached the
beach.
"Come on! Come on!" she shouted.
He waved his hand and finished his cigarette.
"It's glorious! It's mid-summer!" she called.
With a quick plunge he dived into the water,
disappeared and stayed until she began to scan the
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