Chapter Five
The following day, after letting her friends know she was going into business with them, Agnes went to the store to purchase a book on raising goats, a fact about which she knew little. The book had to be ordered, but that was fine with Agnes. She could get started on the salmon while she waited.
After spending a bit of time with Mrs. Johnson, she ordered a male goat and four nanny goats. The goat farmer nearby would sell her grown goats, and then she would need to learn about breeding them and raising the kids.
She had lunch with her friends at Belle’s cabin, a place chosen because it was easier for everyone to go to Belle as she had the baby.
“Why don’t you come and spend the afternoon with me?
” Sally asked. “I plan to bring in my nets and start salmon smoking as well as take down the ones I’ve already smoked.
I’ll show you how to do it, so after your smokehouse is built, and we get your nets set up tomorrow, you’ll know how to proceed.
Of course, I’m always available if you have questions, but I haven’t been doing it long, so I may not have answers for you. ”
“I’d love to!” Agnes replied. She enjoyed the company of Belle and Maggie, but Sally was her closest friend in the group, and she’d rather spend some time chatting with only her.
While they ate, the women talked business. Belle explained exactly how profits would be split between them. “Everett is going to donate the lumber for your barn,” she said. “This weekend we’ll set up the smokehouse and your nets, and the following weekend, the men will build your barn.”
“Oh, that’s so generous!” Agnes was surprised.
Belle shook her head. “No, you’re doing this for all of us, and Everett does have a logging operation at his disposal. It’s the least we could do.”
“He did the same for my pigs,” Sally said. “It’s just the way we’ve been doing things.”
“I’m excited to be a part of everything,” Agnes said. “Are there jobs if some of the others come?”
Belle laughed. “I could add twelve more women, and there would still be more work to do. I like the idea of us coming together as a community. And I know the men in town are thrilled to have us here, providing for the entire area. I’d really like to have someone dedicated to drying fruits and making jam.
Someone who only bakes bread. Someone who only bakes sweets. The possibilities are endless.”
“And another farm!” Sally said. “As much as I love growing things, I’m afraid I simply can’t keep up with all that I want to accomplish.”
“And someone could raise dogs,” Maggie said. “They’re used frequently here in the winter to pull sleds.”
“Dogs pulling sleds?” Agnes asked. “That’s something I’d love to see!”
“Believe it or not, we could have someone raising kittens as well. They could control the mouse population,” Maggie smiled. “I’d love to raise kittens.”
“Maybe we’ll have one of our friends bring a couple of cats for you!” Agnes said. She was so excited to be included in her friends’ enterprise, it was hard to contain herself.
“Not a bad idea,” Belle said, pursing her lips. “And that’s an animal you have room for, Maggie.”
“I’ll write and see if anyone would be willing. Even if we only started with a couple of toms and a few queens, it would be enough to get a population started. The mice really are out of control here,” Sally said.
“Sounds like there really is enough work for anyone who wants to do it,” Agnes said. “Though, I’m not sure if everyone would want to work after coming here. Some may want to keep house and stay close to home.”
“Very true,” Belle said. “Oh, that reminds me. We could also have someone clean houses for the lumberjacks. They could come home to a cooked meal and a clean home, laundry folded neatly. I don’t know if any of the men would be willing to pay for that service, but I have a feeling they’d take anything they could get. ”
“What if someone did a meal service for the men?” Agnes asked. “Any man who chooses could pay for as many meals as he wanted, and they would be waiting for him when he arrived home. I think a lot of men would do that, wouldn’t they?”
“Most would,” Maggie said. “I know James would have loved a service like that.”
“We’ll think on that one,” Belle said. “I think if someone wanted to do that, she could join us and share her profits in exchange for free ingredients, or perhaps just pay us for the ingredients. We’ll make a plan for it and see if someone is interested.”
Sally pushed away from the table. “I’m afraid I need to get to my salmon. Would you like help with the dishes first, Belle?”
Belle shook her head. “Maggie isn’t up to foraging today, so she’s going to stay with the baby while I hunt. She offered to do the dishes, and I’m happy to allow her the honor.”
They all laughed. Maggie simply shook her head. “The honor of doing dishes. Remember how we all used to hate them at the hotel?”
Agnes groaned. “At the hotel, I’d be doing dishes for hours on end. This is a simple ten-minute clean up. Could I bring water in for you, Maggie?”
“I already have some boiling on the stove. If you spot any forage, pick it for me,” Maggie said, slowly getting to her feet. “This baby is weighing heavy on me today. I don’t think it will be much longer. Katie said she is certain I’ll deliver within a week or two.”
“Just be careful,” Agnes said. “Don’t overdo it.”
“Indian women squat in the bushes, have their babies, and go back to work,” Maggie replied. “I can do anything they can.”
“I believe that with all my heart,” Belle said. “But I’ll still wait and see if you say the same thing after your bundle of joy has been delivered.”
Maggie nodded. “I wonder what I’ll be saying then. I suppose I could change everything I believe about myself in one day.”
“You could,” Belle said, smiling and squeezing Maggie’s hand.
Agnes made her exit with Sally, and they headed for Sally’s cabin. “I can’t wait to see what you have to show me!” Agnes said. “I want to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can.”
“First you have to meet Herbert and the girls.”
“Who is Herbert? Isn’t your husband named Tom?”
“Yes, Tom is my husband. Herbert is our only male pig. He’s going to be the father of a long line of piglets.”
“Oh!” Agnes said. “I see. I haven’t really been around pigs, but you were raised on a pig farm, right?”
“I was. Good memory. I wasn’t even certain that I’d told you about that. It’s been such a joy to me having pigs again. If I let Herbert out of his pen, he follows me all around. His favorite thing is when I clean the fish because I often toss him a fish head or some fish guts. He loves them!”
Agnes laughed. “I wasn’t aware pigs ate those things!”
“They do. I’ll show you the parts of the fish I want you to save for the pigs when we clean the fish that were caught in the net today.” Sally nodded toward a cabin with a large garden in front of them. “This is our place.”
“Oh, it’s glorious!” Agnes said. “I want to eat a pod of peas straight from the plant.”
“There are some ripe. I’ll make sure you get a few before we say goodbye for the afternoon.” Sally paused for a moment. “Did you think to get meat for our lunch tomorrow? We’ll all eat together because the men will be working on the smokehouse.”
“I didn’t. It never occurred to me. I suppose I could go back to Belle’s...”
“No need. You can take some of the salmon. Whether you prefer fresh or smoked, we’ll have more than enough for tomorrow’s lunch. Though between the four couples, we could use at least four times what I’ve been able to catch and smoke.”
“That’s why my fishing operation will be larger than yours. It’ll take more time, but I won’t have a large garden like you do. Just the goats.”
“Oh, you will enjoy the goats so much!”
“I hope so.” Agnes followed Sally to a large barn on one side of her property. “I can certainly smell the pigs.”
Sally laughed. “It took Tom a little while to adjust to the constant smell. For me it was almost like a homecoming.” She stopped walking for a moment.
“Oh, I want you to save the goat manure. It’ll be good for my crops come spring.
If you leave it in with the hay, it will be even better when we get it out in the spring. ”
“The goats won’t mind living in it?”
“Not one bit. I can’t use the pig manure because it burns crops without being aged just right. Goat manure is so much better for the soil.”
“I’ll save it then. I’ll help in any way I can.”
“When I plant this spring, we’ll be glad to have it.
” Sally started walking again, hurrying to the pig pen.
She pointed to the largest of the pigs. “That’s Herbert.
And his girls are the other pigs. I can tell you all their names, but no one remembers but me.
They think they are too alike, but the spots are different on different pigs. ”
Agnes looked at the animal. “I thought he’d be tiny. How old is he?”
“Four and a half months. At this age, he’s around eighty or ninety pounds. The girls are slightly smaller, but they should be. You may not be able to tell because you’re less familiar with piglets than I am.”
“I’m fascinated by all of this. I hope I’ll soon be as knowledgeable about goats as you are about pigs.”
Sally smiled. “You will be. Did you order a book about them from Katie?”
Agnes nodded. “I ordered a book and six goats. I’m starting with full-grown so we’ll have a steady milk supply sooner. I hope to make cheese, but I’ve never done it.”
“I have some information on cheese making in my homesteading book. I’ll loan it to you, but I know I’ll want it back.”
“I’d appreciate the loan. I remember many facts when I read something, and I’ll take notes on things I want to refer to later.”
“Remind me to give it to you before you leave,” Sally scratched Herbert behind his ears. “Do you mind if I let Herbert come with us?”
“Not at all. Is he well-behaved?”