| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories by Alice Dunbar: from under his bow when he wishes. It's something wonderful. We
are good friends. Picked him up in my French-town rambles. I've
been trying to buy that instrument since--"
"To throw it aside a week later?" lazily inquired Martel. "You
are like the rest of these nineteenth-century vandals, you can
see nothing picturesque that you do not wish to deface for a
souvenir; you cannot even let simple happiness alone, but must
needs destroy it in a vain attempt to make it your own or parade
it as an advertisement."
As for M'sieu Fortier, he went right on with his song and turned
into Bayou Road, his shoulders still shrugged high as though he
The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Several Works by Edgar Allan Poe: and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was
green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was
furnished and lighted with orange--the fifth with white--the sixth
with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black
velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the
walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material
and hue. But in this chamber only, the colour of the windows
failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were
scarlet--a deep blood colour. Now in no one of the seven
apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of
golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde: homme, ne le regarde pas! Ne lui dis pas de telles choses. Je ne
peux pas les souffrir . . . Princesse, princesse, ne dis pas de ces
choses.
SALOME. Je baiserai ta bouche, Iokanaan.
LE JEUNE SYRIEN. Ah! [Il se tue et tombe entre Salome et
Iokanaan.]
LE PAGE D'HERODIAS. Le jeune Syrien s'est tue! le jeune capitaine
s'est tue! Il s'est tue, celui qui etait mon ami! Je lui avais
donne une petite boite de parfums, et des boucles d'oreilles faites
en argent, et maintenant il s'est tue! Ah! n'a-t-il pas predit
qu'un malheur allait arriver? . . . Je l'ai predit moi-meme et il ut
|
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 Poor and Proud by Oliver Optic: would not turn a poor sick woman out of doors because she did not
pay the rent. There may be, as he says, some deception about it,
which he can penetrate and we cannot."
"There is no deception about it, ma'am," pleaded Katy, much
disturbed by this sudden damper upon her hopes. "She has not got
a single cent. She wouldn't tell a lie, and I wouldn't either."
There was something in the eloquence and earnestness of the child
that deeply impressed the mind of the lady, and she could hardly
resist the conclusion that her agent had, in this instance, made
a mistake. But she had great confidence in Dr. Flynch, and she
was very unwilling to believe that he could be so harsh and cruel
|
