Anna on the Farm by Mary Downing Hahn & Diane de Groat

Author:Mary Downing Hahn & Diane de Groat [Hahn, Mary Downing & Groat, Diane de]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Fiction, Historical, Juvenile Fiction, Hahn; Mary Downing - Family, United States, Sherwood; Anna Elisabeth, Maryland, Friendship, State & Local, Farm & Ranch Life, Farm Life - Maryland, Cousins, Orphans, Middle Atlantic, Maryland - History - 20th Century, Farm Life, Lifestyles
ISBN: 9780064411004
Google: BbfKiJFnLmMC
Amazon: 0064411001
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Published: 2001-02-19T06:00:00+00:00

NINE

Princess Nell

THAT AFTERNOON, AUNT AGGIE SENDS THEODORE and Anna down to the end of the lane to wait for the mailman. It's about time for the Sears and Roebuck catalog to come. Aunt Aggie's been wanting one of the new gas ranges they sell. She's hoping this year Uncle George will say they can afford it.

"It will be a long wait," Theodore tells Anna. "Mr. O'Reilly stops and talks to everybody. He tells who got letters from far away, who had a death in the family, who had a marriage, who had a baptizing. He knows everything there is to know about all the folks in Beltsville."

Anna wonders if girls are allowed to be mailmen. Think of all the postcards she could read. Why, she'd learn all about the world and everyone in it. It's the most perfect job she can think of.

"I bet Mr. O'Reilly's told everybody in Beltsville you're here," Theodore adds.

Anna smiles. If Theodore is right, she's famous, at least in Beltsville. She wants to hear more of Mr. O'Reilly's gossip, but Uncle George calls Theodore to hoe the tomato patch.

Theodore makes a face Uncle George can't see. Anna knows he hates to hoe in the hot sun. "Tell me if the catalog comes," he tells Anna. Then he heads up the lane to meet Uncle George.

Left alone, Anna climbs on the fence and leans over so she can see way down the road. In the city, the streets would be full of people coming and going. But here there's not a person in sight, not a car, not even a horse pulling a wagon. Birds sing, a rabbit runs across the road, butterflies drift from one clump of wildflowers to the next, cicadas rasp in the tall grass. The air smells sweet.

Anna sits on the top rail of the fence, making a clover chain and whistling songs she learned in school, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Maryland, My Maryland," "Oh, Susanna." She's glad Mother can't hear her. According to Mother, it's unladylike to whistle. Sometimes Anna thinks everything that's fun is unladylike. Going barefoot, wearing overalls, swimming in your drawers, getting dirty, whistling, spitting. Boys don't know how lucky they are.

At last, Anna sees someone coming, but it's not Mr. O'Reilly. It's a girl riding a horse. She's at least fifteen, much older than Anna, and very pretty. She wears jodhpurs and tall, shiny riding boots and a smart velvet jacket. Her long golden hair waves around her face and down over her shoulders. Her horse is slim legged and graceful. Its mane is braided, and so is its tail. Head up, it trots along, lifting its hooves high, as if it doesn't like the feel of the ground.

To Anna's delight, the girl slows to a stop and smiles at her.

"You must be Mrs. Armiger's niece Anna," the girl says. "All the way from Baltimore."

"How did you know?" Anna asks. "Has Mr. O'Reilly been to your house already?"

The girl laughs, showing the most perfect teeth Anna has ever seen.

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