Fantasy fiction; Utopian fiction; Utopias -- Fiction
So many years must have made a great change in the history of his
country and in the manners and condition of the people. Until he should
have learned them, he would be practically a stranger in a strange
land. He remembered how he had sat, those many nights before entering
the pedestal on Mt. Olympus, and wondered upon the future, and what
that future would bring forth to him, if he was fortunate enough to
survive the ordeal and live again. He remembered with what delight he
had anticipated coming again into life among a new people and among
scenes of great advancement and of wonderful progress. His hopes had
been realized, and he lived again; yes, he who had lain a hundred years
in a comatose state, now breathed, walked, and had his being once more.
His theory had been most remarkably proved--proved by the man who had
first advanced it, and the world should demand no further proof. What
would be his reputation in Washington? Would there be any difficulty in
proving that he was what he claimed to be--a man who had lived in 1887?
No! it could not be; for there were the proofs in the safe, and such
proofs as no man could dispute--letters written years ago by men long
since dead--aye, dead before a man of his apparent age could have been
born. No! He quickly dispelled the idea that it would be difficult for
him to prove everything. Recovering from his sombre chain of thought,
he turned his attention to the street beneath his window.
He gazed again and again up and down the street and across the way. Was
this the Montgomery street he had so often walked upon? It differed so
from its former appearance that he felt that he was dreaming. Great,
massive buildings, in all the most artistic styles, met his eyes on
every side. Beautiful stores, with huge plate-glass windows, extended
as far as the eye could reach. The sidewalks, as well as he could
tell, were clean and in perfect condition; and where he had in former
times noticed the peanut-vender, the fruit-seller, the blind and the
lame with their excruciating music-boxes, and the scores of others
obstructing the sidewalks, was now clear, clean, and wholly for the
use of the pedestrian. He noticed that that which people had to sell
was kept within their stores, and not on the sidewalk; that there
were no signs hanging over the heads of the passers-by to fall and,
perhaps, break their bones; nor were there any posts of all and every
description along the streets. There were no telegraph or telephone
wires in view, nor were visible many other things which had formerly
been eye-sores to people of taste.
The streets were paved with some new kind of material; what it was,
he could not tell from where he stood, but it was such as gave very
little sound from the passing vehicles. It was smooth and clean, and
free from the many holes which had formerly rendered traveling so
uncertain, even dangerous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account