Thaddeus heard a good-natured roar of laughter from the baron’s mouth, then finally saw his host as he stood and walked out from between two cows down the row.

“Supervise, Thaddeus?” he said, approaching the American. “Why, I’m the only one here! There’s no one else here to supervise.”

“You’re milking the cows yourself?”

“Of course! Although if you’re offering, I’ll be glad for the help!”

“I don’t know a thing about cows, but if—that is, if you need me—I’ll do whatever you tell me.”

“Great! I’ll have you milking like an expert before the hour’s up! Here—grab that bucket,” he added, pointing to a half-full, narrow-necked container not far from where Thaddeus stood. “Follow me.”

Thaddeus did so, and the baron, carrying the bucket he had himself just filled, led him to the far end of the barn.

“But don’t you have men who do this for you?” asked McCallum.

“Yes, but I love my ladies and I like to involve myself too. It’s too easy to get fat and lazy. I try to get dirt on my hands and manure on my feet at least once a day. Anything I hire a man to do ought to be something I am willing to do myself—and would do myself if I had time. I work alongside my men, in the barn, out in the fields, everywhere. I am a farmer and I enjoy hard work. So, there you have it, Thaddeus: my philosophy of farming!”

“But surely you don’t milk the cows alone all the time. It would never give you time for anything else.”

“You’re right. My men do it every other day, but on Sundays I let them sleep in and I handle all the barn chores myself.”

“All the barn chores?”

“Not so much, just the milking, taking the ladies out to pasture, and then cleaning out their stalls—making their beds for this evening, as it were.”

“But why? Why do you do it once a week alone?”

“To give Heiko and Friedrich a break, and to keep myself involved. I must keep involved in all aspects of the farm and its business, otherwise what kind of an owner would I be? I am experimenting with some milking machinery too, and use this opportunity to try out new devices I have either invented myself or borrowed from others. I travel a great deal, trying to learn what others are developing to make the milking process more efficient. I have been to the school of agriculture in Copenhagen. There are many exciting developments.”

“You are a remarkable man, Baron.”