Chapter 8

Daisy had brought some fresh laid eggs with her. Lilly was amazed at the difference in flavor.

"So lets get some chickens. Are they hard to care for?"

"Hardly any fuss at all. They'll eat just about anything. Table scraps and stuff. But with just you here, you'd better get a bag of chicken feed as well. I'll get you a couple of laying hens from our coop and then we'll get you some fertile eggs and hatch a brood of chicks for you."

"That would be neat. I've never seen a chick come out of it's shell."

"It is neat. First one pokes a hole in his shell, then before you know it you've got a whole passel of peeping little yellow chicks."

"Where would I keep them?"

"You've already got a coup. That small building off the barn. But we'll get you some chicken wire and build an enclosure around it. They're lots healthier if they get to run a bit."

"So what are we doing today?"

"You're the boss."

"You know what the place needs. Just tell me."

"Well, we should finish getting the garden in. Then put up that chicken enclosure. Then I think we should lay in about an acre of corn and an acre of potato's. Enough that you could handle it yourself if you needed to, but still give you a nice cash crop to offset my wages."

"You're a pretty sharp business person. What about the rest of the farm."

"Well, I don't think you're up to cows yet. You've got lots of land you could plant, but that takes a lot of work to maintain."

"What would you do if the land was yours?"

"I'd plant the whole thing. Put in some alfalfa on most of it. I'd still plant the acre of corn and potato's, maybe twice that. Then hire a couple of boys to help at harvest time. That's one of the few things they're good for (except my brother)."

Lilly was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then she asked: "Would all that work pay off?"

"Oh yes. The worst you'd do is break even. That seldom happens around here though. The weather's good to us here."

"Okay, this is what I'd like. I want you to manage my farm for me. You've convinced me that you know your stuff. You manage the place and teach me what I need to know. Then we'll spit the profits. okay?"

"You sure you want me to do that?"

"As sure as you were of me."

"Then I'd be honored."

"You'll still get a salary for working for me, in addition to the split."

"No, I wont. If you're gonna put your trust in me, I'm gonna lay it on the line for you. I'll settle for an even split, and maybe just a little spending money along the way."

"But you're gonna be doing most the work. You should get more."

"Nope, it's your land. These are the only terms I'll accept the job on."

"You're a hard woman Daisy, and I love you to your soul. Okay, it's a deal. Wanna shake?"

"Sure, but I'd rather kiss!"

"You're welcome to that anytime you want. But this is a business deal. What we do between us personally is something else."

Daisy shook Lilly's hand firmly, then drew her into a deep kiss. (May as well mix business with pleasure.