Free Woodcutter's Revival by Jerry Slauter Page B

foreman and make the miners more dependent upon the foreman to succeed. As the mines were becoming less and less productive and new methods of mining were becoming common practice, this would be the time to shake the miners’ comfort zone and allow the new leader to make a major contribution in the new system.
    Mr. Thomas asked Raymond to come over for dinner on Sunday. They would take some time after dinner to discuss Raymond’s progress and help with a further course of action. There was no way he would use company time or sacrifice his own evenings to have a management meeting with Raymond.
    Raymond thought they would be meeting in the dining room at the inn. He was pleasantly surprised when he learned they would be dining in the Thomas home. Surely, Victoria would be home on a Sunday afternoon, not that the thought of her concerned him in any way.
    â€œCome in Raymond. Father, I mean Mr. Thomas is in the living room.”
    When Raymond arrived, Mr. Thomas was sitting in the living room, comfortably in his huge leather winged-back chair, reading and smoking his pipe. The fireplace was burning, giving the smell of mountain aspen.
    Victoria was wearing a lace apron over her usual elegant attire. She looked slightly out of place in her domestic role. It might have been that Raymond usually saw women wearing more casual clothing to do work around the house. It could have been that Raymond had only seen her as a tough, clear-headed business woman – her father’s prodigy. He could not say he minded the unexpected and pleasant change. The coziness and aromas of the pipe tobacco, the wood burning and the smell of baked ham and sweet potatoes almost lulled Raymond into a trance.

    Although Raymond was beginning to feel a little familiar around the Thomases he could not yet say he felt comfortable. He could not decide if the discomfort was from Mr. Thomas’ seemingly cold demeanor, or his feelings he knew he could not hide from Victoria. He was happy to admit to himself, that it was a combination of both perceptions.
    â€œHello, Raymond,” said Mr. Thomas, without getting up or offering his hand to shake. “How has your first week gone?”
    â€œFather, business talk can wait until after dinner.”
    â€œDinner sure smells good, Miss Victoria.” Raymond added to break the tension.
    â€œRaymond, you can call me Victoria.”
    Raymond attempted to make some small talk, without much assistance from Mr. Thomas, while they waited for dinner. He could not think of much to say and wished he could be helping in the kitchen, not that he enjoyed kitchen work. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, which could have been due to the hunger, the aromas or the tension, Victoria announced, “Dinner is served.”
    Raymond could not remember how long it had been since he had an honest-to-goodness home cooked meal. Oh, the inn was good, but cooking in the volume which they had to serve each day did something to the food. Trying to keep the food warm for serving in shifts had also limited the appeal of the food. This meal was cooling on the table directly from the oven. Victoria had done justice to the fixings. After dinner she served an apple pie from the apples that had recently come by rail. “If this was my last meal, I would die a happy man!”
    â€œOh, thank you, Raymond, I enjoyed fixing it.”
    With the taste of the meal, the smell of coffee and hearing her pronounce, “Raymond,” he found himself in another trance. The trance was interrupted abruptly by Mr. Thomas, “Now, Raymond, if Miss Victoria will permit, we can discuss business over coffee.”
    â€œThe miners are accepting me better than I thought they would.”
    â€œThat is good. For now, I want you to proceed as you are, accepting more responsibility as you progress. Pretty soon we will have you supervising and you won’t have to do the actual work.”
    â€œYou will still want me to do