Free The Mine by John A. Heldt Page A

Tom told me what you did last night, and I must tell you I'm grateful. He doesn't always exercise the best judgment."
    "Thank you."
    Joel let out a sigh. He had dreaded this meeting, mostly because he did not know what to expect. But now that he had some measure of Melvin Carter, owner and operator of Carter's Furniture and Appliance, he relaxed. He could see he was a reasonable man. A good day was getting better.
    The day, ironically, had started on a bed on wheels, albeit one more comfortable than a rolling boxcar. Joel had slept soundly in an immaculate Airstream trailer, parked in a dirt driveway behind a three-bedroom Cape Cod house.
    When he got up, he grabbed a shirt, underwear, and a razor provided by Tom and made use of a downstairs bathroom and a round porcelain-tub washing machine that looked a lot like R2-D2. By the time Sandra Carter returned home at noon from Tuesday pinochle, Joel was a new man. Tom introduced his mother to a clean-cut friend, not a mysterious drifter who, hours earlier, had roamed the streets with a hairy face.
    "Tom tells me you're from Montana," Mel Carter said.
    The statement brought Joel out of a daze. He tried to remember what he had told Tom the previous night, when he went from Joel Smith, time traveler, to Joel Smith, job-seeking cowboy from Big Sky Country. It was time to play the part.
    "Helena," he said. At least that much was true. "My family is into ranching."
    Joel remembered Walter Scott's quip about tangled webs and deceit.
    "Ranching, huh?"
    Tom sat in his chair, legs crossed, and nodded. No scrutiny would come from his corner.
    "So why does a Montana rancher hop a train to Seattle?" Mel asked.
    "Well, sir, truth be told, the ranching hasn't been so good lately. Beef is in a free fall. Chicken is cutting into the market."
    "Chicken?"
    "Sad but true. Consumers are on a white-meat kick and our operation hasn't been able to adjust. I couldn't make it in a chicken world, sir, so I hit the road in search of something better."
    Mel smiled, shook his head, and looked at his plainspoken guest as if trying to decide whether he was a serial liar or a marketing genius. He shifted around in his chair and adjusted a pair of black suspenders that cut into a white short-sleeved shirt. A pack of cigarettes bulged from one pocket.
    "What kind of work are you looking for?"
    "Anything. I just want an opportunity to prove myself and work my way up."
    "Ever sell anything?"
    I once sold Adam on protein shakes.
    "Not recently, but I'm willing to try."
    Mel glanced at Tom, as if seeking some sort of guidance, and then at the mystery man. He stroked his chin, rubbed his hands together, and leaned forward in his chair.
    "Tell you what, Joel. If you mean what you say, I'll give you that chance. I run a home furnishings store just off campus. Come in with me in the morning, and I'll put you to work. If you can sell more than toasters in two weeks, I'll make the job permanent."
    As Joel pondered a reply, a pretty, browned-haired girl, no more than eighteen, stepped into the living room. She glanced at the visitor, blushed, and turned toward the oldest male in attendance.
    "Supper's ready, Daddy."
    Brenda Carter took her leave but sneaked one more peek at Joel as she ambled across a dark oak floor. Rounding an arched entrance that led to a hallway, she stopped, popped her head back in the room, and peered at her older brother.
    "Oh, Tom, I almost forgot."
    "Forgot what?"
    "Ginny's here."
     

CHAPTER 22
     
    Sandra Carter knew fried chicken, the bane of the beef industry. She also knew gravy, biscuits, and corn on the cob.
    Joel smiled to himself as he took stock of the food on the large, rectangular table, which occupied a fair portion of a well-lighted dining room. The fat grams alone could kill a herd of elephants. But he wasted no time digging in. Twenty-four hours earlier rotting fruit had looked like a feast. Now, he had meat and carbohydrates – and company.
    Mel and Sandy took up most of Joel's