She had done all the dairying lately by herself.

There were about a dozen cows to milk, and she had managed it all herself every day that we were away; put up the calves every afternoon, drove up the cows in the cold mornings, made the butter, which she used to salt and put into a keg, and feed the pigs with the skim milk.

It was rather hard work for her, but I never saw her equal for farm work--rough or smooth.

And she used to manage to dress neat and look pretty all the time; not like some small settlers' daughters that I have seen, slouching about with a pair of Blucher boots on, no bonnet, a dirty frock, and a petticoat like a blanket rag--not bad-looking girls either--and their hair like a dry mop.

No, Aileen was always neat and tidy, with a good pair of thick boots outside and a thin pair for the house when she'd done her work.
She could frighten a wildish cow and bail up anything that would stay in a yard with her.