| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Wyoming by William MacLeod Raine: in lofty and oblivious conversation with Texas, but he did not
intend to allow reminiscences to get under way just now.
At this opportune juncture arrived the mistress of the "gasoline
bronc," neatly clad in a simple white lawn with blue trimmings.
She looked like a gleam of sunshine in her fresh, sweet youth;
and not even in her own school room had she ever found herself
the focus of a cleaner, more unstinted admiration. For the
outdoors West takes off its hat reverently to women worthy of
respect, especially when they are young and friendly.
Helen Messiter had come to Wyoming because the call of adventure,
the desire for experience outside of rutted convention, were
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: giving her the reasons which compelled him to marry; his constant
poverty, the torpor of his imagination, his white hairs, his moral and
physical exhaustion--in short, four pages of arguments.--"As to Dinah,
I will send her a circular announcing the marriage," said he to
himself. "As Bixiou says, I have not my match for knowing how to dock
the tail of a passion."
Lousteau, who at first had been on some ceremony with himself, by next
day had come to the point of dreading lest the marriage should not
come off. He was pressingly civil to the notary.
"I knew monsieur your father," said he, "at Florentine's, so I may
well know you here, at Mademoiselle Turquet's. Like father, like son.
The Muse of the Department |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: for change are lost, for one change always leaves the toothing for
another.
CHAPTER III
CONCERNING MIXED PRINCIPALITIES
But the difficulties occur in a new principality. And firstly, if it
be not entirely new, but is, as it were, a member of a state which,
taken collectively, may be called composite, the changes arise chiefly
from an inherent difficulty which there is in all new principalities;
for men change their rulers willingly, hoping to better themselves,
and this hope induces them to take up arms against him who rules:
wherein they are deceived, because they afterwards find by experience
The Prince |
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 Philosophy 4 by Owen Wister: brought Bertie back to the world of reality, and word was given to fetch
the gelding. The host was in no mood to part with them, and spoke of
comfortable beds and breakfast as early as they liked; but Bertie had
become entirely responsible. Billy was helped in, Silas was liberally
thanked, and they drove away beneath the stars, leaving behind them
golden opinions, and a host who decided not to disturb his helpmate by
retiring to rest in their conjugal bed.
Bertie had forgotten, but the playful gelding had not. When they came
abreast of that gate where Diggs of the Bird-in-Hand had met them at
sunset, Bertie was only aware that a number of things had happened at
once, and that he had stopped the horse after about twenty yards of
|
