| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: enclosure I found the King sitting at the head of the kraal quite alone,
except for a man who was holding a large shield over him in order to
keep off the sun.
He greeted me warmly, and I told him my trouble about the oxen, whereon
he sent away the shield-holder, leaving us two together.
"Watcher-by-Night," he said, "why do you blame me for these events, when
you know that I am nobody in my own House? I say that I am a dead man,
whose sons fight for his inheritance. I cannot tell you for certain who
it was that drove away your oxen. Still, I am glad that they are gone,
since I believe that if you had attempted to trek to Natal just now you
would have been killed on the road by the Usutu, who believe you to be a
Child of Storm |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: "What did he return to Wellwood for if he didn't come for that?
All his relatives are gone. He never married. Yes, he has come
back to see Eudora and marry her, if she will have him. No man
who ever loved Eudora would ever get over loving her. And he
will not be shocked when he sees her. She is no more changed
than a beautiful old statue."
"HE is changed, though," said Amelia. "I saw him the other day.
He didn't see me, and I would hardly have known him. He has
grown stout, and his hair is gray."
"Eudora's hair is gray," said Sophia.
"Yes, but you can see the gold through Eudora's gray. It just
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: before Tibo spied a single one of the great hairy forms,
or before the apes realized that Tarzan was not alone.
When they saw the little Gomangani perched upon his back
some of them came forward in curiosity with upcurled lips
and snarling mien.
An hour before little Tibo would have said that he
knew the uttermost depths of fear; but now, as he saw
these fearsome beasts surrounding him, he realized that
all that had gone before was as nothing by comparison.
Why did the great white giant stand there so unconcernedly?
Why did he not flee before these horrid, hairy, tree men
The Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
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: testimony was so tinctured with bitterness that it must have been
plain to the veriest novice he was no fit judge of the case.
But Bucky knew as well as the judges that his trial was a merely
perfunctory formality. The verdict was decided ere it began, and,
indeed, so eager was Megales to get the farce over with that
several times he interrupted the proceedings to urge haste.
It took them just fifteen minutes from the time the young
American was brought into the room to find him guilty of treason
and to decide upon immediate execution as the fitting punishment.
General Carlo turned to the prisoner. "Have you anything to say
before I pronounce sentence of death upon you?"
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