The story I read was The invalids story, by mark twain. The theme of the story is that your mind can play tricks on you, and cause many problems. The setting is a train car on its way to Bethlehem Wisconsin. When Thompson noticed the smell, he mentioned it to the story teller. Your mind can play tricks on you, sometimes causing you body to follow, from a mirage in the desert to a glass of water on a hot day. Or in this case, the smell of moldy cheese mistaken for the body of a dead person. The narrator is on a train. His best friend died, and his dying wish was to be taken home to his parents in Wisconsin. Naturally, the best friend and narrator were the ones set with this task. On the train, the narrator starts smelling the body. They try to figure out ways to get rid of the smell. One after the other they fail, again and again. Until finally they give up and wait outside, when they get to the stop, there told their very sick.
