DISCOVERY
While Stewart was busy in the cabin, caring for Michael, Raymond and Daryl reached a settlement in the mountain pass. The settlement was a small mining town named Discovery. Discovery had one mining company. The town had an inn where a person could obtain a bath, a room and a meal.
The town also had a general store, a boarding house, a furniture factory, a saloon, a livery stable, a church and a school. The boarding house was used by single miners who came to town and stayed a while. There were also several houses for miners with families to rent. All the commerce in Discovery was owned by one man – Edward Thomas. Edward liked to be called “Ned” by those to whom he allowed the privilege.
Raymond and Daryl had no trouble in deciding where to put up for the night. The inn was small and plain, but after a month on the trail, it seemed inviting enough. It was used by travelers who came to town on business or an occasional wanderer passing through. There were also monthly rates for those choosing to stay until they could obtain more permanent housing. Two of the six rooms were available, so they decided to check in, take a bath and meet in the dining room for supper.
Daryl was already seated when Raymond appeared. “Have you been waiting long? I couldn’t pull myself away from the tub.”
“No, I have only had time to have a cup of coffee and to take a quick look at the menu.”
“How is the selection?”
“Limited, but the food sure smells good.”
Raymond began to peruse the menu as he continued enjoying the aromas, the faint clinking of knives and forks, and the clatter of plates being carried from a nearby table. Daryl said, with a laugh, “This place sure smells different than Stewart’s camp cooking.”
Raymond, added, “The coffee is better too.”
Raymond realized that he had not thought about Stewart much while they were busy surviving on the trail. Now that he had some time to relax, he wondered how Stewart was doing and how far along the trail he had advanced. His attention soon turned to studying the other faces in the dining room. The study consisted of quick glances at the other four tables, two of which were occupied.
The dining room was L shaped, with the smaller area being separated by a French door. In the alcove that was nearly as big as the main room was a vacant table, a sideboard and a hutch. The furnishings, including china, silverware and linens in the semi-secluded alcove seemed much fancier than the place mats, flatware and stoneware in the main room.
While he was wondering about the alcove, out of the corner of his eye, he caught the movement of another couple as they entered the dining area through the front door. The man took the woman’s coat in a gentle but distracted manner. Raymond noticed an age difference as the man appeared to be about twice the age of the woman. Even though the woman was young in appearance, she exuded an air of self confidence in her mannerisms and the quality and style of her clothing.
Raymond felt that even though she dressed and carried herself so eloquently, she did not appear to be conceited or attempting to vainly convince herself of self worth. Raymond thought he had been sly in his observations until he glanced back at Daryl, whose face appeared ready to burst from the smile he gave Raymond. Raymond felt his face turning a bright red with embarrassment as he realized his observations were not quite as sly as he had thought.
The couple did not wait for the waitress to direct them to their seats but seated themselves in the alcove. As the French door closed behind them, Raymond could hear the waitress say, “Good evening, Mr. Thomas. How are you, Miss Victoria?”
“Good evening Sarah. I am fine, thank you. How is your family?”
“They are fine, thank you.”
As this exchange took place, another conversation began in a whisper. “It is not polite to stare.”
Raymond could not believe that he got caught staring again. After being so obvious and suffering the embarrassment of being caught the first time, he was so easily distracted and staring again. Blushing, he said, “I didn’t think I was so obvious.”
As the young woman was talking to her father, she casually glanced in Raymond’s direction, noticing that he was a stranger in town. As her eyes made contact with his, Raymond quickly diverted his stare. When the waitress sidled up to the table to take their order, Raymond, nonchalantly asked, “Who is the young lady who came in with the gentlemen?”
Sarah answered, “She is Miss Victoria. I’d be careful about getting too nosey. Her daddy, Mr. Thomas, owns this town and he don’t like any strangers asking too many questions – especially about Miss Victoria.”
While Raymond sipped coffee and waited for his meal, he was amazed at how much he felt intrigued by Victoria. He could never remember meeting any person who had such an impact at the first glance.
Soon their meals arrived. They were so hungry for a home cooked meal they would not have noticed if the cooking was bad. On the contrary, the pork chops, corn, fresh bread and apple pie were very good.
After concentrating on the food for a while, Raymond asked, “What are your plans?”
Daryl answered, “I’d like to stay in town a few days and get rested. A person could become accustomed to accommodations like this real easy.”
“That’s a fact, but we can run out of money if we aren’t careful.”
Daryl grinned and casually, almost jokingly suggested, “We could check out the job situation.”
At first Raymond was amused, but began to think, “That is not a bad idea.”
After supper Raymond climbed the steps to his room. The room was very simple with a wooden floor, a well worn area rug, a bed, dresser, a night stand with an oil lamp, and a small wood stove. Raymond noticed a Bible on top of the night stand. Although the accommodations were not elaborate, with the experience on the trail, they seemed like luxury.
As fatigued as he was, Raymond thought he would go right to sleep. As he lay in bed, tossing and turning, his mind kept entertaining the thought of staying in town, at least for a short time. He thought he could work long enough to earn train fare to Wellspring, have a little spending money and arrive about the time he expected Stewart to reach town.
After struggling to sleep for some time he got up and lit the lamp. He reached for the Bible and started to read, “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
He laid the Bible back on the dresser. At first Raymond contemplated these words. He began to wrestle with them. “For what cause would be worth dying? More importantly, for what reason should a person live?”
Raymond did not like to miss sleep. He also did not like to interrupt his schedule, even while traveling. It seemed the harder he tried to sleep, the wider awake he became. He wondered why he had so much trouble sleeping when he was so exhausted, especially when he found himself in a real bed for the first time in a little over a month.
Finally, after wrestling with the verses he had read and considered every possible meaning, he drifted off to sleep. He slept longer than any one night he had spent on the trail. He was in no hurry to get out of bed in the morning, because he and Daryl had not set any specific time to meet for breakfast.
When he was finally fully awake, he figured the sun had been up for about a full hour. He was still not in any great hurry to climb out from under the covers. His room had no fire in the stove and the early-autumn night air had left the room with a briskly cool feeling. He could not shake the thoughts of the previous night. However, feeling his hunger and smelling the bacon frying from the kitchen below his room, he decided he could wait no longer to get dressed and go down to enjoy a hot breakfast.
After entering the dining area, he noticed the private alcove had already been set for lunch, while the other tables in the main dining area still had the trimmings for breakfast business. He chose a table near the window so he could look out during breakfast and take a better look at the town. He wondered how long he would stay in town and how he would fill his time. When Sarah, whom Raymond recognized as his waitress from the night before, came to fill his cup, he asked, “What does a person do to bide his time here?”
She responded, “Most people work six days a week. They ain’t got time or money to do nothin’ else.”
“What kind of work do they do?”
“Well, in a silver mining town, most people go into the mines or they do the smelting. Then, there are the rest of us who run the inn, the company store, saloon or the livery. Those are all owned by Mr. Thomas. Then you have the railroad.”
Just as Raymond’s breakfast arrived, Daryl came bolting through the front door. He pulled up a chair and sat down. Raymond could not help but notice the enthusiasm Daryl attempted to restrain while he sat grinning at Raymond. “Ok, I give up. What are you trying not to tell me?” inquired Raymond.
I was just looking over the town. They always have openings in the mines. The pay seems good.”
“Hold on. I am just passing through!”
“I know! I know! I was just thinking this is beautiful country. I don’t know if a man could get rich, but sure could earn a comfortable living.” beamed Daryl.
Raymond hadn’t noticed that Daryl had gone from talking about a few weeks from the night before to ‘earning a living’ today. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.”
They finished their breakfast and exited into the street. Daryl led the way. The mining office was almost directly across the street from the inn. As they were crossing the street, Raymond looked back to the right and to the left. At the end of the street, he noticed a Victorian house with a picket fence. The house was the largest in town and the only one with a fresh coat of paint. All the other buildings had gray, weathered boards with the original paint mostly worn off.
“Who lives there?” Raymond asked.
“That is the Thomas Home.”
Raymond looked back across the street at the mining office. Over the door was a sign that read, “Thomas Mining Company.”
Raymond and Daryl entered the door and saw a clerk sitting across the counter from them. Raymond could also see two open office doors behind the clerk’s area. He gazed complacently at the open doors when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure of a woman as she arose from her desk. As he looked, attempting not to stare, he thought the clerk and Daryl could probably hear his heart racing. He was, once again, shocked that he reacted so strongly and out of control to an individual he had only previously seen once in his entire lifetime.
He could only calm himself by diverting his attention. It was too late. He could not restrain himself from glancing back at the open door and noticing the young woman, also peering in his direction with what appeared to be a look of intrigue. The next moment Victoria was proceeding through the office door. Her look of intrigue was now replaced by a look of impatience over the clerk’s complacency in greeting the two inquirers.
“How may I help you?” she asked.
“We came into the job to check out the office situation…I mean…I.” stumbled Raymond, feeling himself blush a brighter red.
“We would like to know if the mines are hiring.” intercepted Daryl.
“Yes, we do have some openings now. Do you have any mining experience?”
“No, but I have done a lot of farm work.”
“Well, stick around. Mr. Thomas will talk to you. He should be available in a few minutes.
Raymond, grinning, responded, “I’ll wait.”
As Raymond took one of the two seats in the waiting area, he wondered how he could be waiting to interview for a job he did not want. He verbally affirmed to Daryl, “Well, I guess if I get this job, I could work a month, earn train fare, and still get to Wellspring about the time Stewart arrives.”
Hearing himself repeat his thoughts from the night before, Raymond wondered if he was attempting to convince Daryl or himself. Daryl smiled in acknowledgment.
