I anticipated my first large exhibition as the train retraced my route south that night. The next day, in Omaha, I boarded the Union Pacific Railroad that traversed the vast flatness of Nebraska and chugged along under the big skies of Wyoming. 

When we reached Laramie on the evening of the third day, another passenger entered the compartment, a traveling salesman, by the looks of his flashy attire and his large valise. He bustled around, setting his derby hat on the shelf above his seat and nestling his silver-tipped cane between his knee...

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