SOMETHING ABOUT CHEESE 3 



was enough to give us the idea that we were running 

 on anything but a railroad ; and once, when we were 

 rolling over a few miles of smooth road, a passenger 

 remarked, that, for his part, he was glad the cars had 

 got back on the rails once more. 



Two dairymen were on board, and during the even- 

 ing were discussing the merits of certain kinds of 

 cheese. They grew warm over the argument, and at 

 length agreed to leave it to the passengers. Each pro- 

 duced from his satchel a large piece of cheese, and, 

 to the great amusement of every one, began to divide it 

 up. The ends of the car were deserted, and all stood 

 round the two disputants in the centre, applauding 

 their jokes and eating their cheese. I am sure I 

 learned more about cheese during that discussion than 

 I might have gained in many days of patient study. 



When we arrived at Chicago, we were taken by 

 omnibus across the city to the Rock Island Station, 

 where we were " dumped out" in front of the great, 

 cold, dark depot, and left to the mercy of a lot of city 

 thieves and sharpers (i.e., third-class hotel runners). 

 Several of the passengers were "taken in and done 

 for," but many remained ; and soon the night watch- 

 man came and let us into the warm waiting-room, 

 where we could rest in peace, and laugh at the howling 

 of the elements. The train left early in the morning; 

 and as soon as we were well out of the city we were 

 ushered into a beautiful, level prairie, well settled and 



