Lisbeth yawned as she headed out to the barn. Papa had already brought their cows in to be milked and the animals were restlessly waiting for her.
Lisbeth found it irritating how cheerful her sister Anna, who loved mornings, was when she herself felt so much like crawling back under her quilt and going back to sleep. She scowled as she thought of the younger girl dancing around as she went to care for the chickens.
As she set her stool next to the first cow, Lisbeth thought about how much lonelier the barn felt in the morning now that Kirsten wasn't here working beside her. Kirsten and her family had moved away to their own farm only a few weeks ago and Lisbeth missed them. They still saw Kirsten and her brothers at school, but it wasn't the same.
A cold winter breeze cut through the barn making Lisbeth shiver and lean her forehead against the warm flanks of the cow she was milking. On mornings like this, she wished she could wear trousers like a boy. Layers of petticoats were nice and warm right up until a wind found its way up under them.
Lisbeth moved on to the next cow and decided that it was time for her to shake off her negative thoughts. As Mama liked to say, "each day has enough of its own misery," so she needed to be more positive and not dwell on what made her unhappy lest it grow.
Turning her thoughts to more pleasant things, she thought about the verse she had memorized in English to recite at school today. It was the longest she had learned yet and she was very proud of it. Kirsten and Anna would be so impressed when they heard it, but it wasn't their reactions she looked forward to most. Lisbeth could barely admit it to herself, and would never own it to anyone else, but she most wanted to impress the tall new boy who sat near the back of the schoolhouse. She wanted to see his soft blue eyes light up with admiration when she recited the poem in front of the class.
The cow stamped its hoof in annoyance at Lisbeth's inattention. With a start and rapidly reddening cheeks at her train of thought, she turned her attention back to her work.
What was happening? She never got distracted like this, especially over a boy! It couldn't be good that he was making her forget her work! She squared her shoulders and determined not to let it happen again, no matter how nice his smile was.
