"You know I wouldn't do this or anything else if you really didn't want me
to."

"You are keen," he replied, with his good nature entirely restored. "You can
see that you get me right under your thumb when you talk that way. But we
must both be on our guard against your fault, you know, or pretty soon you'll
be taking the whole work of the farm off my hands."

"To be serious," she resumed, accompanying him to the barn for the first time,
"I think YOU are working too hard. I'm not. Our meals are so simple that it
doesn't take me long to get them. I'm through with the hurry in my sewing,
the old dog does the churning, and you give me so much help in the dairy that
I shall soon have time on my hands. Now it seems to me that I might soon
learn to take entire care of the chickens, big and little, and that would be
so much less for you to look after. I'm sure I would enjoy it very much,
especially the looking after the little chickens."

"So you really think you'd like to do that?" he asked, as he turned to her
from unharnessing the horses.

"Yes, indeed, if you think I'm competent."

"You are more so than I am. Somehow, little chickens don't thrive under a
busy man's care. The mother hens mean well, but they are so confoundedly
silly. I declare to you that last year I lost half the little chicks that
were hatched out."

"Well, then," she replied, laughing, "I won't be afraid to try, for I think I
can beat you in raising chickens. Now, show me how much you feed them at