FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102  
103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  
se disposition." "Sufficient reason, I should say, for a year or so, but hardly one would think, for a lifetime." "Why not?" "Because the novelty of adventure wears off in a little time. Good health never gives us satisfaction, for we do not give it thought until we lose it, so that can never be an impelling motive; and as for independence, what is that, when one can never be freed from himself? In short, I should say one so circumstanced as you are would die of ennui; that his mind, constantly thrown back upon itself, must, sooner or later, result in a weariness even worse than death itself. However, I am only curious, not critical." "But you forget these shelves. Those books are my friends; of them I never grow weary, they never grow weary of me; we understand each other perfectly,--they talk to me when I would listen, they sing to me when I would be charmed, they play for me when I would be amused. Ah! my dear sir, this country is great as all countries are great, each in its way; and this is a great country to read books in. Upon my word, I wonder everybody don't fill ships with books and come up here, burn the ships, as did the great Spaniard, and each spend the remainder of his days in devouring his ship-load of books." "A pretty picture of the country, truly; but let me ask how often do books reach you?" "Once a year,--when the Danish ship comes out to bring us bread, sugar, coffee, coal, and such-like things, and to take home the few little trifles, such as furs, oil, and fish, which the natives have picked up in the interval." "Books to the contrary, I should say the ship would not return more than once without me, were I in your situation." "So you would think me a sensible fellow, no doubt, if I would pick up this box and carry it off to Paris, or may be to New York?" "That's exactly what I was thinking; or rather it would certainly have appeared to me more reasonable if you had built it there in the first instance." "Quite the contrary, I do assure you,--quite the contrary. Indeed, I can prove to your entire satisfaction that I am a very sensible man; but wait until I have shown you all my possessions. Will you look at my farm?" Farm!--well, this was, after all, exhibiting some claims of the country to the consideration of a civilized man. A farm in Greenland was something I was hardly prepared for. The Doctor now rose and led the way to the rear of the house, into a yard about
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102  
103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

country

 

contrary

 

satisfaction

 
situation
 
fellow
 

return

 
things
 

trifles

 

natives

 

coffee


picked
 

interval

 

instance

 

exhibiting

 

claims

 
consideration
 

civilized

 

Greenland

 

prepared

 
Doctor

possessions

 
thinking
 

appeared

 

reasonable

 

Indeed

 

entire

 

assure

 
Danish
 

constantly

 

thrown


circumstanced

 

sooner

 

However

 

curious

 

critical

 

result

 

weariness

 

Because

 

novelty

 

adventure


lifetime

 

disposition

 

Sufficient

 

reason

 

impelling

 

motive

 
independence
 

health

 

thought

 

forget