Woodcutter's Revival (15 page)

Chapter Fourteen

N
ow that Stewart had a job, he decided to find a room closer to the construction site. He also got the brilliant idea that once he had a more permanent address, he could write home and see if they had heard from Raymond. He was reluctant to write and tell his folks that he lost Raymond and was looking for him.

As soon as lunch break started, he went to the boarding house across from the project. He secured a room that provided three meals a day. He decided to get his things after the shift and be back in time for his first supper at the boarding house. He also remembered seeing a post office and a gun shop when he was riding with Mr. Townsend. He could get the letter written tonight and see if the gun shop offered safe storage as a service.

Stewart had a good supper that night. He thought the pork chops were exceptional. The mashed potatoes were almost as good as Mom's. He liked the sauerkraut, although that was not his favorite vegetable. It was difficult to find vegetables in the winter or early spring. Back on the farm, Mom canned enough to feed them into the summer with produce from the vegetable garden. Stewart thought the apple pie and coffee were the best. Ma Peterson, as they called her, claimed she served “working Man's meals.” By the way he felt as he climbed the stairs, he could not argue that it was definitely enough to eat.

Upon returning to his room, he hid the Winchester under his mattress. He thought that was probably the first place somebody would look if they broke into his room. “Well, tomorrow after work, I can get it stored safely.”

He kept rolling over and over in his mind how he wanted to compose the letter. Fortunately, this letter would be to his mom and dad, and not to Raymond's parents:

Mom and Dad,

I am sorry it took so long to write. I have a long story to tell about how I spent my winter. The short version is that Raymond and I hooked up with another hiker, who was trustworthy enough. I thought it might be some time before I would be able to get back into the mountains, so I took the higher route. Raymond wanted to get through the mountains as quick as possible, so he took the lower route with Daryl.

Before I was very far up the mountain, I found a man who was knocked down by a tree he had chopped. He was pinned under the tree and had a broken leg. I stayed with him and nursed him back to health. He was a fantastic man. You know how I said I wanted to go to school? I feel as though I spent the winter in class with the long discussions we had. His name was Michael Thomas. He gave me a Winchester 45/70 and snuck some money into my backpack when I left.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to reconnect with Raymond. I have posted notices all over Wellspring, close to the trail head where I came out of the mountains. Would you please talk to his parents and see if they have heard from him. I have found a job that should last until next winter.

I am staying at the address I listed, right next to the construction site. Will you try to make it to Wellspring by rail any time this summer? It only takes two days to come around the south end of the San Juan Range by rail. The scenery will not be as majestic as what I saw, but it should be as pleasant ride. Not too costly.

Love,

Stewart read the letter over again and placed it into the envelope that he had obtained from Ma Peterson. He wanted to be careful not to alarm anybody without appearing to be too nonchalant in his attitude. Stewart pulled out the Bible Michael sent with him and read until he was ready to fall asleep. It did not take long with the full day's work, the walk and the heavy supper before he got up, put out the lamp and climbed back into bed.

Stewart slept in a little longer than usual since he did not have to find a place to eat breakfast or walk to the job site. Stewart was on the site mixing mortar and stacking bricks when the other men started filtering in. He always brightened when he saw Sven. Sven was a large framed Swedish man with a heavy accent. Sven was a fatherly figure with a huge heart.

Stewart asked Sven how many blocks up the street the post office might be and if the gun shop stored guns as a service. Sven got a big grin on his face and said, in his Swedish accent, “Iis Stewart writin' hist girlfriend?”

Stewart laughed and said, “No, I am finally writing home, now that I have an address where they can write back.”

Sven told Stewart that the post office and gun shop were about five to seven blocks west and about two blocks apart. Stewart figured he would not be able to get everything done during his lunch and be back in time. He would go after work. Maybe Big Jim would let him knock off about a half hour early, if he got everybody supplied with bricks and mortar.

Stewart asked the favor. Big Jim said, “I guess, but don't make it a habit.”

Stewart worked ahead of the bricklayers so he had more than enough bricks for them to finish the afternoon. He made an extra batch of mortar and covered it in the mud boat so it would not dry too quickly. He asked Sven if he would clean the boat, the mortar boards and the square nose shovel. Sven laughed and said, “You can't efen finish der verkday vit' out running off to see dat girl?”

Stewart just laughed and headed for the boarding house. He wanted to get everything worked out and be back for supper. He reached under the mattress and pulled out the Winchester, grabbed the envelope and headed out. He got some weird looks as he walked down the street carrying a Winchester rifle, but he had encountered that the other times he had to move the gun in town. He arrived at the post office, bought a stamp and asked how long the letter would take by rail. The clerk said, “Oh, about a week.”

Stewart walked another block and a half and found the gun shop. While he was waiting for the store owner to finish with another customer, he looked around at the guns and ammo. The smell of gun oil, the leather holsters and the shining precisely machined parts on the guns made Stewart think of Gramps.

Although Gramps was not a gunsmith, people brought their guns to him to fix from miles around. In fact they brought everything they could not figure out themselves. Gramps had taught himself the machine shop, welding, forging, and blacksmithing. Gramps could even pick the guitar in the evenings. Stewart wondered what Gramps could have accomplished if he were born a couple of generations later, in the Industrial Revolution. Well, I guess we are all created for our time. What do we do with it?

“Do you want to sell that?”

“What? Stewart realized the shop owner was talking to him. No sir, but do you offer secure storage of guns for customers?”

“But you're not a customer.”

“If I buy some ammo and pay for the storage, I am a customer.”

“I guess that is true. Two bucks a month.”

“Done. How often do you want me to check in to pay? “

“Pay the first two months and then check in and pay each month.”

Stewart got a receipt and left, promising to buy ammo when he needed it. As Stewart walked back to the boarding house, he felt relieved to have made the effort to communicate with home and he felt the gun was secure. He also looked for any messages on the sign boards he passed.

As he passed a café, he could see Mr. Townsend talking to three men. Mr. Townsend was facing away from the window so he could not see Stewart. Stewart took a quick glance at the other men and continued toward supper. He thought as he walked. He wondered who those men were, and why Mr. Townsend was talking to them away from the office. One had a suit on and looked more like an attorney than a construction worker.

Stewart wondered if Mr. Townsend was hiring any more workers. From the quick glance, Stewart discerned that the conversation was one between men familiar with each other and not the tense or formal type of conversation in which somebody was seeking employment from the other.

The next day at work Sven said, “Stewart, vee talk sometime today, yah?”

“Sure, we talk all the time during the day.”

“No, I mean in private.”

“Okay, let's get something to drink after work and talk. It‘s Friday, and I feel like celebrating a little”

At the end of the shift, the men cleaned their tools, picked up their gloves, coats and lunch boxes. Stewart wondered all afternoon why Sven was so secretive. They walked down the block to the saloon, found a semi private booth and ordered something to drink. “Alright, Sven, what do you want to talk about?”

”Stewart, has anybody approached about der union?”

“Nobody has. I guess I would be willing to listen.”

“You don't vant to talk about der union on der job. Townsend vould fire you at der drop of der hat if efen he thought you ver interested in listnin'. If he thought you ver an infiltrator, or an agitator, he vould haf you beaten and driven off.”

“Oh, that's crazy. That would be against the law, and what is he so afraid of?”

“Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm no union organizer. I just vant you to be avare of vat ist happening. Der owners und people who haf der vealth are not villing to share der fortune wit dos upon whose shoulders dey built dare vealth. Dey say der unions are Socialistic. Der unions say dey vant safe verking conditions und fair wages. It‘s not about vat ist right and wrong. It's about total control.”

“But, what about those thugs who are being hired to suppress peoples' right to free choice?”

“Dey are private detectives hired by der Pinkerton Agency. Dey are all over der Vest in mining towns, construction sites and on der railroads. Some infiltrate, posing as union organizers. If dey sense dat an employee ist sympathetic toward der union, dey might play along and set der person up. Dey haf efen been alleged to organize strikes to shut der union down. Dey act as judge, jury and executioner. None haf been prosecuted, as day haf efen been used by governors and local law enforcement agencies. Dey are abuff der law. Dey consider themselves to be der law. Be careful Stewart, I could efen be von.”

“On that, I remain dubious.”

“Chust be careful, yah!”

By Sven's expression, Stewart knew he was not kidding around. Sven always tried to make the job easier for the other workers. He attempted to bring humor into every aspect of the job. He was a father figure to younger men, and teased them about girl friends, work habits and appetites. Although he teased Stewart, Stewart never felt like the teasing was a put-down or mean spirited. Although Sven was one of the older men on the job, he was like working with a great big kid. Stewart thought, “Dad would like Sven and he would be happy to know someone was keeping an eye on me.”

On Monday Big Jim approached Stewart. He looked concerned as he pulled Stewart aside to talk to him. “What did you and Sven talk about Friday after work?”

Stewart attempted to show no emotions as he answered. “Nothing. We just stopped and had a drink after work.”

“Just be careful who you listen to. You know there are troublemakers everywhere.”

Stewart was now seething under the surface that his foreman would actually keep track of who visited who after work. “Sven has been nothing but kind to me. He even warned me about unions.”

“You might reconsider mentioning that word on this site.”

“Yes sir!”

As Big Jim finished talking and began to turn around, Stewart noticed some of the other men watching and trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. He could not describe it, but Big Jim's attitude seemed to abruptly change toward him. Previously, Big Jim had at least feigned an air of friendliness. As Stewart worked the rest of the day, the other men also seemed to distance themselves from Stewart and Sven, almost as if they no longer trusted them. Stewart was amazed how the men had judged and convicted him and Sven without a chance at any defense. Gramps was right when he told Stewart, “Facts are negotiable, perceptions are not.”

Stewart had only been able to trust Big Jim on a limited basis, even prior to this conversation. In other conversations, Big Jim would act respectful to somebody's face, only to make a comment about the person to Stewart after the person left the immediate area. He even acted respectful toward Mr. Townsend, only to make sly comments about him in his absence.