John Birxin's Daughter, Alexandra

Alexandra Birxin's father had an idea that no one understood how to farm his land properly. He often called his daughter into talk to her about this. Before Alexandra was 12 years old, she had begun to be a help to her dad. His boys were willing enough to work, but when he talked to them, they usually irritated him. It was Alexandra who could always tell about what it had cost to fatten each steer and who could guess the weight of a hawk before it went on the scales closer than John Birxin himself.