The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and PoliticsVarious
General
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics
Various
American periodicals
Hunger and thirst were soon appeased. "And now," said the Doctor, when
this was done, "I know you are dying for the want of something fresh and
green. You have probably tasted nothing that grew out of dear old Mother
Earth since leaving home";--and he tinkled his silver bell again, and
Sophy of the silver seal-skin pantaloons and dainty boots tripped softly
through the door.
"Sophy, haven't you a surprise for the American?"
Sophy smiled knowingly, and said, "Yes," as she retreated. In a moment
she came back, carrying a little silver dish, with a little green
pyramid upon it. Out from the green peeped little round red
globes,--_radishes_, as I lived!--round red radishes!--_ten_ round red
radishes!
"What! radishes in Greenland!" I exclaimed involuntarily.
"Yes, and raised on my own farm, too; you shall see it by and by." The
Doctor was enjoying my surprise, and Sophy looked on with undisguised
satisfaction. Meanwhile I lost no time in tumbling the pyramid to
pieces, and crunching the delicious bulbs. They disappeared in a
twinkling. Their rich and luscious juices seemed to pour at once into
the very blood, and to tingle at the very finger-tips. I never knew
before the full enjoyment of the fresh growth of the soil. After so long
a deprivation it was indeed a strange, as it will remain a lasting
sensation. Never to my dying day shall I forget the ten radishes of
Greenland.
"You see that I was right," exclaimed my host, after the vigorous
assault was ended. "And now," continued he, addressing Sophy, "bring the
other things."
The "other things" proved to be a plate of fine lettuce, a bit of
Stilton cheese, and coffee in transparent little china cups, and sugar
in a silver bowl, and then cigars,--everything of the best and purest;
and as we passed from one thing to another, I became at length persuaded
that the Arctic Circle was a myth, that my cruise among the icebergs was
a dream, and that Greenland was set down wrongly on the maps. Long
before this I had been convinced that Doctor Molke was a most mysterious
character, and wholly unaccountable.
After we had finished this sumptuous lunch and chatted for a while, the
Doctor surprised me again by asking if I would like a game of billiards.
(Billiards in Greenland, as well as radishes!) "But first," said he,
"let us try this sunny Burgundy. Ah! these red wines are the only truly
generous wines. They monopolize all the sensuous glories and
associations of the fruit. With these red wines one drinks in the very
soul and sentiment of the lands which grow the grapes that breed them."
"Even if drank in Greenland?"
"Yes, or at the very Pole. Geographical lines may confine our bodies;
but nature is an untamed wild, where the spirit roams at will. If I am
here hemmed in by barren hills, and live in a desert waste, yet, as one
of your sweetest poets has put it, my
'Fancy, like the finger of a clock,
Runs the great circuit and is still at home';
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account