| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: his recent misfortunes, the effect was heightened by his clothes. His
forlorn blue great-coat was buttoned in military fashion to the
throat, for painful reasons; and yet it showed much that it pretended
to conceal. The bottom edges of the trousers, ragged like those of an
almshouse beggar, were the sign of abject poverty. The boots left wet
splashes on the floor, as the mud oozed from fissures in the soles.
The gray hat, which the colonel held in his hand, was horribly greasy
round the rim. The malacca cane, from which the polish had long
disappeared, must have stood in all the corners of all the cafes in
Paris, and poked its worn-out end into many a corruption. Above the
velvet collar, rubbed and worn till the frame showed through it, rose
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: Monte...you pie-biter, stop.... He has ate up your book, ma'am,
but I'll get yu'..."
And then the Virginian was fast asleep.
XII. QUALITY AND EQUALITY
To the circle at Bennington, a letter from Bear Creek was always
a welcome summons to gather and hear of doings very strange to
Vermont. And when the tale of the changed babies arrived duly by
the post, it created a more than usual sensation, and was read to
a large number of pleased and scandalized neighbors. "I hate her
to be where such things can happen," said Mrs. Wood. "I wish I
could have been there," said her son-in-law, Andrew Bell. "She
The Virginian |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: train. "
O'Halloran looked drolly at him. "I'm liking your nerve, young
man. I pull the chestnuts out of the fire for yez and, likely
enough, get burned. You walk off with your chestnut, and never a
'Thank ye' for poor Mickey the catspaw."
"It doesn't look like quite a square deal, does it?" laughed the
ranger. "Well, we might vary the program a bit. Bucky O'Connor,
Arizona ranger, can't stop and take a hand in such a game, but I
don't know anything to prevent a young gipsy from Spain staying
over a few days."
"If you stay, I shall," announced the boy Frank.
|
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 My Antonia by Willa Cather: be buried. The nearest Catholic cemetery was at Black Hawk,
and it might be weeks before a wagon could get so far.
Besides, Mr. Bushy and grandmother were sure that a man who had
killed himself could not be buried in a Catholic graveyard.
There was a burying-ground over by the Norwegian church,
west of Squaw Creek; perhaps the Norwegians would take
Mr. Shimerda in.
After our visitors rode away in single file over the hill,
we returned to the kitchen. Grandmother began to make
the icing for a chocolate cake, and Otto again filled
the house with the exciting, expectant song of the plane.
My Antonia |
