Charley s Wonderful Journeys. 



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the solid rock. " You can never lose your 

 way in a road like this," thought Charle}^ 

 "and it must go somewhere." 



He walked on and on a long, long way, 

 and at last he came to the end, and there 

 was an old man sitting down with a great 

 lump of green cheese in each hand, and 

 first he took a bite off one piece, and then 

 off the other, and kept munching away all 

 the time, without looking to the right or 

 left. 



At last he heard Charley's footstep, and 

 turned round very angrily and tried to 

 speak, but he couldn't at first his mouth 

 was so full, but after he had cleared his 

 mouth a little he spluttered out, " What do 

 you want here? Go away." 



Immediately he had spoken he thrust 

 the last lump of green cheese into his 

 mouth, and broke off a fresh piece from 

 the ground in front of him. 



" I am come from your father-in-law," 

 said Charley, who sent me with this flower 

 pot for a tribute of your affection." 



" Wants some of my green cheese I dare 

 say," said the old man as soon as he had 

 cleared his mouth enough to speak. " He 

 won't get any, though— I ain't his son-in- 

 law — never married the Maid in the Moon — 

 ain t such a fool — she'd have eaten more 

 green cheese than I could — have eaten me 

 out of house and home by this time — ain't 

 such a fool, you bet." 



He did not say all this at once, because 

 he was eating away all the time, and break- 

 ing off fresh pieces from the road. When 

 he got his mouth nearly empty he would 

 say a few words, and then take a fresh 

 bite, and munch away at that before he 

 spoke again. He always spoke with his 

 mouth full, and Charley thought it very 

 rude, of course, but he did not like to say 

 anything. 



Charley sat still for some time, the old 

 man munching away, and eyeing him all 

 the while. Several times when his mouth 

 was nearly empty he opened it wide and 



was going to speak, but habit was too 

 strong for him, and before he could get 

 out a word he always put up his hand and 

 bit off another piece of cheese. But he 

 did not like to have Charley sitting there, 

 and kept eyeing him suspiciously all the 

 time. At last he cleared his mouth enough 

 to say, " What are you waiting for ? Why 

 don't you go?" 



" I was waiting till you had done dinner," 

 said Charley, "that I might talk to you." 



"Done dinner!" said the old man as 

 soon as he could, "What's that ? " 



"I mean," said Charley, "that I was 

 waiting for you to finish eating." 



"Finish eating! " exclaimed the old man, 

 almost choking with rage and anxiety and 

 green cheese all mingled: "Why should I 

 finish eating? I suppose you want to begin 

 eating, but I won't let you." 



"I ? Oh! no," said Charley, "I don't like 

 green cheese." 



" Don't you? " said the old man, shaking 

 his head. " I wouldn't trust you. Now go 

 away. The Maid in the Moon wanted to 

 eat my green cheese. Drove her away." 



" But isn't all the moon made of green 

 cheese? " queried Charley. 



" 'Tisn't true," said the old man. " It's 

 only in this line, and I found it, and I 

 won't let anybody have any." 



" But what will you do when it's all 

 eaten? " 



"All eaten!" exclaimed the old man, 

 with horror on his countenance, "All eaten!" 



"Why, yes," said Charley. "You've 

 eaten out all the road from the beginning 

 until now, and if you go on eating you 

 must come to the end some time. But 

 what's the good of always eating — you 

 can't be always hungry?" 



" But I am always hungry," said the old 

 man, with his mouthful as usual, "eating 

 always makes me hungry," and again he 

 bit off great mouthfuls to make up for lost 

 time. All the time he kept eyeing Charley 

 very suspiciously. 



