| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: WAS that Goodson made to the stranger."
"It's perfectly true. I feel guilty and ashamed. And you?"
"I'm past it. Let us make a pallet here; we've got to stand watch
till the bank vault opens in the morning and admits the sack. . . Oh
dear, oh dear--if we hadn't made the mistake!"
The pallet was made, and Mary said:
"The open sesame--what could it have been? I do wonder what that
remark could have been. But come; we will get to bed now."
"And sleep?"
"No; think."
"Yes; think."
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: starved to death or venture forth, empty, to fill the belly
of some hungry bear.
I must admit that I, too, felt worried, for our progress
was indeed snail-like, and our ammunition could not
last forever. In discussing the problem, finally we came
to the decision to burn our bridges behind us and make
one last supreme effort to cross the divide.
It would mean that we must go without sleep for a
long period, and with the further chance that when the
time came that sleep could no longer be denied we
might still be high in the frozen regions of perpetual
Pellucidar |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: To say to me, that thou art out of breath?
The excuse that thou dost make in this delay,
Is longer then the tale thou dost excuse.
Is thy newes good or bad? answere to that,
Say either, and Ile stay the circumstance:
Let me be satisfied, ist good or bad?
Nur. Well, you haue made a simple choice, you know
not how to chuse a man: Romeo, no not he though his face
be better then any mans, yet his legs excels all mens, and
for a hand, and a foote, and a body, though they be not to
be talkt on, yet they are past compare: he is not the flower
Romeo and Juliet |
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 Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: worthy of the liberty we have won. Let us neither sack nor
pillage, but show our great president in the City of Mexico that
not ruffians but an outraged people have driven out the
oppressors."
The huge Celt was swimming into his periods beautifully, but it
was very apparent to him that the mob must have a vent for its
stored excitement. An inspiration seized him.
"But one sacred duty calls to us from heaven, my fellow citizens.
Already I see in your glorious faces that you behold the duty.
Then forward, patriots! To the plaza, and let us tear down, let
us destroy by fire, let us annihilate the statue of the dastard
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