Chapter Nine
By the time the goats arrived two weeks later, Agnes had a system for the fish that worked beautifully.
They were finished by early afternoon, and she had more than enough time to fix supper and even do some baking or make jam or can vegetables.
It was working out better than she had thought it could.
Her nets were full most days, and she had started sharing the smoked salmon she made with the others.
The men had finished the barn, and they had started the cold house.
The trick with the cold house was digging deep enough into the soil that they could use the permafrost to help keep the meat cold enough not to spoil.
Because they were so close to the river, the permafrost was deeper than in most places, and they had to dig a full four feet before they could build up stone walls around the frost.
The men promised the cold house would be ready for the fall hunting, when most of the moose, deer, and caribou would be ready.
At lunch, the day the goats were finally there, Belle asked the others, “Has anyone heard from the girls planning to come? I haven’t heard a peep in weeks.”
They all exchanged glances. “I haven’t,” Agnes said.
“Nor I,” Maggie replied.
“Not a word,” Sally said, frowning. “I wonder if they all decided not to come.”
“I think they’d have written if they decided not to come,” Belle said. “How many were considering it?”
Agnes thought through it, counting the friends on her fingers as she said their names. “There’s Ella, Myrtle, Lula, and Josephine. There were others, but those were the four actively pursuing the idea.”
“I wonder why they haven’t written,” Sally said. “If only to say they’re not coming. I’m a bit worried.”
“Everett told me that Aaron was on his way to pick up a bride,” Belle said. “I wonder who it is.”
Maggie sighed. “I guess we’ll just need to wait and see.”
“It’s a good thing we all got along at the hotel,” Agnes said. “We don’t have to worry about who may be coming.”
“That’s true,” Belle said. “We need to think about potential jobs for anyone coming. In case they want them, of course.”
“I think Myrtle would want to bake. She’s more of an indoor near the fire sort, and she talked a lot about the bakery her parents ran before they died in the fire that burned it down. She seemed to always have a dream of baking.”
“Well, hopefully she’s coming soon then,” Belle said. “I find it hard to keep up with hunting and baking now that Bertie is here. He has to be my top priority.”
Maggie nodded. “I can collect forage with the baby once it’s born, but I would need to find a way to wear him or her on my back.”
Belle waved her hand dismissively. “That should be easy.”
“I will bake in the winter...” Maggie said. “And the winters are long. I can only forage up until the snow starts, and then there’s little I can do in that regard.”
“Very true,” Sally said. “Same with my crops. I should have most everything harvested by mid-September.”
“Did you can your rhubarb pie filling?” Belle asked Sally.
“I did. I’ll be baking pies for the store come winter. I think we’ll all be doing some baking this winter.” Sally sighed. “Surely we’ll bake too much if all of us are doing it.”
“I don’t think so,” Belle said. “I want to knit again this winter. And we can make quilts together.”
“We’ll choose a cabin and all meet there every afternoon to do our crafts together,” Sally said.
“That’s a good idea,” Agnes agreed.
On her way home after lunch, Agnes’s mind was filled with what she could do to continue to make money throughout the winter. Of course, she could sell goat milk and cheese, but she wanted something more. She’d have to think on it more as she cleaned her fish that afternoon.
As they were eating supper, she brought up the subject to Jasper. “I was wondering what I should do to make money in the winter. I can sell goat milk and cheese, but I’m not sure that will feel like enough work to keep me occupied.”
Jasper shook his head. “You don’t need to make money all the time!”
“But I want to!”
“You could sew shirts. The men are always looking for flannel shirts. You could make scarves and hats and gloves. What do you enjoy doing?”
“I really enjoy the fish, believe it or not,” she said. “But according to Katie, the salmon disappear in the winter.”
“That’s true. You could bake gingerbread cakes every day.”
Agnes smiled. “You just say that because you want more gingerbread cakes for yourself!”
He grinned. “You know me.”
“I do. I’ll keep thinking on it. I’ve canned a lot of the berries I got this summer, and I could do pies as well. I just think we’re going to be making too many sweets if that’s what we all do.”
He laughed. “The men fight for early lunches so they can be first in line at the store to get bread and sweets. I think all of you could bake daily, and there would still be men not getting what they want.” He shook his head.
“I think if you do something you enjoy, you will be profitable. It’s that simple. ”
“The others are talking about sewing quilts together in the afternoons.”
“That will make money as well. The cold here seeps into your bones at night, and the blankets the store gets in are highly sought after.”
Agnes nodded. “I’ll keep thinking on it. There’s so much I want to do.”
“Alternate what you do every day then,” he said reasonably. “Mondays you bake gingerbread cakes. Tuesdays you quilt. Wednesdays you make scarves. Or however you want to do it.”
“That’s not a bad plan! I’ll make myself a schedule I can follow.”
“Keep in mind that bread will make the men happy as well. They don’t need fancy desserts.”
“All right. We’ll see what I come up with. Did you look in on the goats when you got home?” she asked.
He shook his head. “You hadn’t mentioned them, so I wasn’t sure if they arrived today. Are you happy with them?”
She nodded. “All of the females are expecting and giving milk, which thrills me. I’ll be able to start making cheese soon, and I can take milk to all of the families we share with starting tomorrow.”
“Don’t overdo it,” Jasper cautioned. “I don’t want to have to worry about you because you’re working yourself too hard.”
“I won’t. I’m just excited that the goats are finally here.”
“We already have some hay drying. Hopefully, it will be ready to use before we get more rain,” he said.
“That would be good. I don’t think I ever realized just how much a farmer’s livelihood depended on the weather.”
“It does. So, watch for rain.”
“I will. When do you think our cold house will be ready?” she asked.
“I think a couple more weekends, and it will be done. I’m glad the salmon doesn’t need to be stored in there.”
“Me too!” she replied. “I would have had to wait until the cold house was done then, and I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
He covered her hand with his. “Thank you for working so hard. But don’t forget to take care of my wife in the process.”
“I won’t!” Agnes was surprised how many times he warned her to be careful every day. “Belle said someone named Aaron was off to get his bride from Skagway. Do you know who his bride is?”
He shook his head. “He just said he hopes his wife is willing to work half as hard as the rest of you.”
“I’m glad he’s open-minded about his wife working.
I know we all work hard, but the way we’re doing things, we can specialize and become good at things.
I couldn’t grow a garden like Sally, or hunt as well as Belle.
But I can raise goats and fish. Why shouldn’t I do more of what I’m good at in exchange for what they excel at? ”
“I think it makes good sense. And I think it’s good when you sell your surplus to the store. You ladies are making our town better.” He pushed his plate away. “Have the goats been milked this evening?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. I was planning to do that after supper.”
“I’ll take care of it. I want to go out and meet them anyway.”
She washed the dishes while he was out, wondering if she should start her cheesemaking immediately, or share her milk with her friends first. Probably share the milk. She should get used to the goats and the extra work they brought before she started working on cheese.
She felt as if she were finally doing what she’d gone there to do. Be a housewife who made money in her free time. As Maggie and Belle had said, she’d need to slow down once she started having babies, but there was time. And a long winter to entertain herself through.
*****
All of the couples came over again on Saturday to help with the cold house. Agnes served lunch and invited everyone to supper. “I thought we could all play cards after supper. I’d suggest dancing, but I don’t have a gramophone.”
Belle nodded. “I want one, and I’m saving up to order one.” Agnes was fully aware that Belle didn’t need the money she made. She simply enjoyed working and doing what she wanted to do every day.
“Well, when you get it, we should have a party.” Maggie looked intrigued by the idea. “By then, I hope to be light on my feet again.”
“When is the baby due?” Agnes asked.
“Next week, I think. It’s hard to know for certain.”
Sally smiled. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“I can’t wait to not be expecting any longer. I feel like I’m as big as a house!”
Agnes shook her head. “You’re beautiful.”
Maggie laughed. “James has been trying to tell me that, but I know he’s seeing me through the eyes of a man in love and not as I truly am.”
Sally frowned at her. “You are beautiful. You’re only big because you are expecting. It’ll soon be over, and you’ll be back to your slender self.”
“I sure hope so,” Maggie said, patting her belly. “It feels like I’ve been pregnant for thirty years.”
“You’re not even thirty years old,” Belle said, shaking her head. “Once the baby is born, you won’t think about how hard the pregnancy was. Just about the beautiful baby in your arms.”
“Any letters?” Sally asked, returning to their topic from several days before.
“Not a one,” Agnes replied, wishing she could say differently.
“Soon,” Belle said, though she didn’t look as if she was convinced.
Agnes served some of her smoked salmon and fried potatoes for supper that night. She’d also made a large gingerbread cake and smaller ones for each couple to take home with them. Everyone told her how wonderful the salmon had turned out.
“Absolutely delicious,” Everett added to the other’s praise. “You learn quickly.”
“I’m glad everyone is pleased,” Agnes replied.
After supper they played Euchre. Some had never heard of the game, but Agnes happily explained the rules. Two games happened at once, and the winners of each game went on to play the winners of the other. In the end, Maggie and James emerged triumphant.
“As the winners of the game, you get a gingerbread cake to take home with you,” Agnes said, handing the cloth-wrapped cake to Maggie. “As for the losers of the game, you all get cakes too, with a wish that you will do better next time!”
Everyone laughed as Agnes handed out cakes.
“This is how I want to spend our Saturday nights this winter,” Belle said. “All of us together playing cards. Do any of you know how to play Hearts?”
Maggie nodded. “I’ve played once.”
“If anyone doesn’t know, I’ll teach you!” Belle said. “We should rotate who hosts each week as well. I haven’t had this much fun in a long while. Thank you for having us for supper and games.”
Agnes smiled. “I’m glad we all enjoyed ourselves. We work so hard together that I think we need to play together sometimes as well.”
“I know we do!” Sally said. “And I love the idea of getting together at a different house every Saturday night. It will help our business arrangement if we all remain good friends.”
Maggie smiled. “James and I would love to come. Just know the baby may be a loud one.”
Belle laughed. “I had to interrupt the game three times to see to Bertie. We all understand that motherhood has its demands.”
As the other couples left, Jasper stood behind Agnes with his hands on her shoulders. “This was a lovely evening,” he told her once they’d gone. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun like that.”
“Why work hard if you don’t play just as hard?” Agnes asked.
He chuckled. “You have a good point. Oh! I left the milk outside in the cool evening air. When do you think you’ll start making cheese?”
“I’ll wait another week probably. I want to become accustomed to caring for the goats before I delve into the world of cheese. See? I’m not biting off more than I can chew.”
He smiled at that. “Well then...should I bring in water for baths for church service in the morning?”
“Let’s wait until morning to bathe,” she said. “I have a sudden urge to get all hot and sweaty.”
“I have a feeling the urge you have is mirrored by my own.”
“Let me finish cleaning up from supper first,” she said. “I don’t want to leave the dishes sitting overnight.”
“I’ll bring water in then. That way we’re ready to bathe as soon as we heat the water in the morning.”
Agnes stood on tiptoe to kiss Jasper. “You’re a wonderful man. I got lucky with you.”
“I prefer to think we both were blessed by God in our marriage.”
She tilted her head to one side, thinking about it. “You’re right. You’re always right.”