The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-11-30
MisteIaneol1s.
A WINTER UNDERGROUND.

bered with regret that the hour OF my dc.
parture from Kublitz was at hand. Still
fingered, for had spent several of tho hap.
piest weeks of my life in that fairy spot ol
earth, 30 far removed from the track Of the
bustling British tourist. had grown at
tachcd to my supplemented hosts and
their constant kindness, their gay good-hu.
NOR, and the freshness and novelty Of the
holiday life, had indcscribablc charms for
me. Kublitz is place little known. IL
lies in Swedish Lapland, about o hundred
and fifty miles beyond the extreme limits OF
Norway and its silvery river and emerald
pastures are surrounded by the far-stretch-
Ing mooriands, of which by far the greater
part of the country consists. Far away to
the South, might be seen, on clear day,
rising dimly above tho vast purple moors, a
line of blue peaks that family dotted the
distant horizon. These are the KhOl Mount
aims, the mighty Scandinavian Alps which
divide Norway from Sweden, and whose nor
thernmOst SUBMITS have often seemed to me,
as gizcd on them from the Lapland wastes,
the very outposts Of European civilization.
To the North, line Of low hills broke the
distant sky line-thc last range, ] was told
between fair Kublitz and tho grim icy bcrgs
of the lonely Arctic Sea. There, among
hills, the northern unlimited bear roamed
unmolseted in his shaggy strength,
the unlimited wolf howlcd along the deep
rayines, the marten clung to the pine branch,
and the elk ranged the brakes, FREQ from any
fear ofintrusivo man. Nothing would have
tempted my kindly Lapland hosts to explore
that mountain range, guarded by thousand
superstitous legends, and named, in their
iguratiyo language, the Witches Hills.
But let me try and describe Kublitz itself, as
saw it first, basking in the short-!iycd
smile Of the arctic summer, when nature
seems to compensate by wondious lavish
ness Of love and care for the ephermcral cha:-
actCr OF the enjoyment.
All that rocky glen where the village ncs-
tied, all those verdant prairics that cncircled
it, those shrubby woods that beltcd the mead
ows, and were bounded in their turn by the
trackless moors, had blossomed like gar
den in Fairyland. Fruit and flowers every
where fruit and flowers The gray rocks
that rose above the houses blushed literally
crimson with the wild strawberries---those
wondrous strawberries that spring up every
NuCIt IbIilIu, NuOoC buSu
that they stain the hOofs OF the reindeer and
the sledgo OF tho traveller, yet are so doli.
cate and matchless in flavor that tho Gar
himself sends for them, by estqfettes, all the
long, long way, to his summer-palacc Of
Tsarzkoy-Chcle But strawberries are not
the only gifts that summer filings with full
hands upon Lapland. The crags, the mead
ows, the thickets, glow and blossom with
thousand many-hucd flowers the morcs and
pools are white with lilies tho woods arc
full Of strange fruits, and joyous songs OF
birds; the grass springs up luxuiantly ; the
ferns, MOSES, litchens, have all their varied
tints of deeper or brighter green; the moors
are carpeted with red and purple hcaths; and
even the dangerous quasmiros are ruddy
with tho tempting fruit Of tho cranberry.
One never knows what summer really Is,
never knows with what cxubcrant mirth
the world can rejoice at bursting from tho
chains ofwintcr, until one has seen Lapland.
And the people? Well. all l can say is,
l liked them, aud thcy me. never met o
young face, or an old ono among these sim
pie folks, that had not smile for the stran-
ger never went into Lapland hut with
out finding q kindly welcome, for my wor-
thy little hosts would hustle to fiji the big.
gcst bowl with milk, and tho largest basket
with berries, and to produce large piles OF
: smoke. and dried hsh from tho sea coast,
and, luxury unparalleled, perhaps even o
great black loaf, brought all the way from
Norway, Qor Lapland has no broadly to do
honor to tho foreign guest. How could l
help growing fond Of these queer, elfn.look-
ing, so't.hcarted peoplo2 Ihad heard ugly
stories of them among the Swedes and Nor
wcgians; they were called syages, idolators,
enchanters, even cannibals; but can only
say that they not only abstained from eating
me, but did not even fleece me, Us nations
much more polished and accomplished are in
the habit Of doing to wayfares. The vii
lage of Kublitz was built of green boughs
and wattles, the posts alone which supported
each cottage being of pine timber. In fact,
the huts were not cottages-they were mere
leaiy booths such rs the rowing Mrters some
times construct; aid these summer palaces
Of living verdure added to the holiday mir Of
the place, and were suggestive Of perpetual
picnic. But the true houses were under the
earth, not above its surface. The green
tents have been describing were mere tenn.
porary payilions and beneath them, with
only low chimney, like magniied mole
hill, pccping above gronnd, were the true
homes Of tho laplandcr, the caycrncd store
houses for all their worldly wealth, and their
own dwellings for more than nine months in
the year. And now the time was coming
when tho green. booths were to be deserted,
and the sun TO vanish, and the strange un-
1 A L. ,,nIasa a. -
again for the long iron-bound arctic winter.
Peter Wow. the chief man in tho village,
in whose Wigwam dwelt, warned mo that
the daylight would speedily ccaso, and
that he had prepared his boat to convey me
down the river southwards, 90 that might
reach Norway "bcfore 1t got dark" A
strange idea seized mc-what if I were 10
stop behind have been here through the
daylight, the long three months day, that
puzzled me 30 terribly ut FIRST, and robbed
me Of my sleep, and made me blink like an
owl at the unwcarying sun that rouM shine
at midnight, and which upset all the habits
of my previous life. 70, objected what
strange sensation that had been. new frcsh,
and piquant. l had promised to spend
Christmas with my sister in Gloucester, to be
SURF; but, +" Pshaw," thought ], I" can 50
next summer. Maria Jane hasn't seen me
these eighteen years and more, 90 she can
probably wait till Easter and my nephcws
and neiccs won't fret too much, l dare say,
at the non.appcanncc Of an uncle they never
set their Juvenile eyes upon. My mind Is
made up. I'll stay all night
A pretty long night, too. rcadcr-a night
that begins in carly October and ends in
June. Having tried perpetual daylight, l
was now going to essay how l liked Its anti