itable. Poultry raising is one of the most
profitable things about a farm, and the average farmer does not give his
chickens any attention. I expect you to look after the chicken end of
the farm. All the profits will be yours."

Even this liberal offer did not interest the wife greatly.

"The first thing I am going to do is to build a dyke or levee along the
river bank to protect the bottoms from overflows. This must be done this
winter. Mr. Monsarrat is at work on one on his place. He went to the
expense of hiring regular dyke-builders, civil engineers and all that
sort of thing. I'll just hire farmers and their teams. I've got onto a
man that built all the dykes down toward Chillicothe. He knows just how
to construct them. I'll hire him to superintend the work. Of course,
I'll be on the ground all the time to look after the details."

"When will you have time to attend to matters of that kind? Now, Al,
you're just hatching up a lot of trouble for us. Why don't you rest? You
have been working all these years to lay by a few dollars and now you
are contriving to spend them. We know nothing of farming. We will be
worried to death."

"Now don't get excited, Tillie. Hold your horses. I've thought the whole
matter out. Now listen to me. You can't farm in winter, can you?" and
Alfred waited for his wife to answer. The wife deigned no reply; she
either considered the question too deep or too silly. Alfred answered
his own question: "No, you can't farm in winter. This is November. I've
fixed it that by the time we are ready to farm we will be all prepared.
I've subscribed for three farm journals, a poultry paper and a dairying
book. The farm journals are published in New York, Los Angeles and
Denver. This will educate us up to farming methods in all sections. What
they don't know in one section, we will learn from another. You leave it
all to me. Country life will make another woman out of you and Pearl
will like it. It will be good for you all. It's the dream of my life
realized and I do hope you will enter into my plans and be the help you
have always been. I'm going to have a horse and phaeton for your
exclusive use. I don't want you to do anything. Just sort of look over
things. You need not read the farm journals unless you are interested.
You read up on poultry and the dairy. They go together. All I'll ask you
to do is to look after those two things, the poultry and the dairy. I'll
take care of the farming."

Bob Br