| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Under the Andes by Rex Stout: quite a journey from here. You ought to see our friend--the one
who couldn't make his eyes behave. They've eaten him full of
holes. He's the most awful mess--sickening beast. He didn't have
a bone in him--all crumpled up like an accordion. Utterly
spineless."
"And who, in the name of goodness, do you think is going to
eat all that?" I demanded, pointing to the heap of bodies.
Harry grinned.
"I don't know. I was so excited at the very idea of a square
meal that I didn't know when to stop. I'd give five fingers for a
fire and some salt. Just a nickel's worth of salt. Now, you lie
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Mother by Owen Wister: this reason that we all yearned in our middle-aged way for the tale of
love which we expected from young Richard. He, on his part, repeated the
hope that by the time his turn to tell a story was reached we should be
tired of stories and prefer to spend the evening at the card tables or in
the music room.
We were a house party, no brief "week-end" affair, but a gathering whose
period for most of the guests covered a generous and leisurely ten days,
with enough departures and arrivals to give that variety which is
necessary among even the most entertaining and agreeable people. Our
skilful hostess had assembled us in the country, beneath a roof of New
York luxury, a luxury which has come in these later days to be so much
|
