Read Online Anna on the Farm by Mary Downing Hahn, Diane de Groat - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Downing Hahn, Diane de Groat
Tags: United States, Fiction, Historical, History, Juvenile Fiction, Cousins, Orphans, State & Local, Friendship, Middle Atlantic, maryland, Lifestyles, farm life, Farm & Ranch Life, Hahn; Mary Downing - Family, Sherwood; Anna Elisabeth, Farm Life - Maryland, Maryland - History - 20th Century
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with dust. The warm air smells of hay and cows. Anna breathes it in, thinking how sweet it is, nothing like Billy's pen.
"See that?" Theodore points to a thick rope hanging from a rafter. The knotted end dangles above the barn's hard-packed dirt floor, much too high for Anna to reach.
"How do you swing on it?" Anna asks, truly puzzled.
"It's not for girls." Theodore begins climbing up a steep ladder that leads to the hayloft. Homer climbs up after him and Henry follows his brother.
Anna walks to the foot of the ladder and stares up. Although she would never admit it, she's always been afraid of high places. It's a long way to the hayloft, but if the boys can do it, so can she. She wipes her dirty hands on her overalls and grabs a rung of the ladder. Up she goes, hand over hand, foot over foot. Father once told her never to look down from a high place, so she keeps her eyes on the ladder rungs, but her back prickles as if gravity was pulling at her skin. Her legs feel shaky, too.
When Anna reaches the top of the ladder, she holds her breath and hoists herself to the floor of the hayloft. She lies still a second, hoping the boys won't see how scared she is. How will she ever be brave enough to climb back down?
As Anna gets to her feet, she sees Theodore reach for the rope. Homer grabs for it, too. "Let me go first," he yells. "I'm company!"
Anna shuts her eyes, sure both Theodore and Homer will fall to their deaths on the barn floor. Since Homer is at least an inch taller than Theodore, he gets the rope away from him.
"Watch me, Anna!" he yells. Gripping the rope, Homer walks to the back of the loft and then runs forward. Without slowing down, he leaps into the air and soars outward.
"'He flies through the air with the greatest of ease,'" Theodore sings, "'the daring young man on the flying trapeze.'"
Homer swings back and forth twice, but on the third swing he shouts a wild war whoop and drops into the hay piled on the other side of the barn. Anna watches Homer get to his feet and brush himself off. As far as she can see, he's still in one piece. No broken bones, no missing teeth, no cuts or bruises. He laughs up at Anna. "You want to go next?"
Anna glances at Theodore and is relieved to see him backing away from the edge of the loft, gripping the rope as if he means to keep it this time. He runs forward like Homer and flings himself into the air, singing the same song about the daring young man. Back and forth, back and forth he goes, and then, like Homer, he plunges down into the pile of hay.
"Four times," Theodore yells. "Beat that, Homer!"
Homer scrambles up the ladder with Theodore behind him. But it's Henry's turn now. He waves the rope in Anna's face. "You got to time it just right," he tells her. "If you swing back and forth too long, you'll miss the hay."
"What happens then?" Anna asks, feeling her knees go weak.
"You'll fall on the floor and bust your head and all your bones. Your innards will splatter like a tomato somebody threw against the wall."
With that, Henry goes to the back of the loft and runs forward. He sails out like the others, but after just two swings he lets go and lands in the straw.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck," cries Homer. "You big chicken!"
The rope swings back and Theodore hands it to Anna. "Your turn."
Homer snatches at the rope. "Give it here," he says. "Girls ain't got the nerve for stuff like this."
But Anna holds on to the rope. Isn't she the only girl in Baltimore who has skated down Bentalou Street, the steepest hill in the city? If she could do that, she can do this.
"Maybe you should give Homer the rope," Theodore says, suddenly worried.
Anna shakes her head and goes to the back of the loft. Holding the rope as tightly as she can, she wills herself to run forward and jump, just like the boys. But
at the very edge of the loft, she falters. Unfortunately, it's too late to stop herself. Anna sails out into the air.
"Let go," Theodore yells, "you're going too slow for
"See that?" Theodore points to a thick rope hanging from a rafter. The knotted end dangles above the barn's hard-packed dirt floor, much too high for Anna to reach.
"How do you swing on it?" Anna asks, truly puzzled.
"It's not for girls." Theodore begins climbing up a steep ladder that leads to the hayloft. Homer climbs up after him and Henry follows his brother.
Anna walks to the foot of the ladder and stares up. Although she would never admit it, she's always been afraid of high places. It's a long way to the hayloft, but if the boys can do it, so can she. She wipes her dirty hands on her overalls and grabs a rung of the ladder. Up she goes, hand over hand, foot over foot. Father once told her never to look down from a high place, so she keeps her eyes on the ladder rungs, but her back prickles as if gravity was pulling at her skin. Her legs feel shaky, too.
When Anna reaches the top of the ladder, she holds her breath and hoists herself to the floor of the hayloft. She lies still a second, hoping the boys won't see how scared she is. How will she ever be brave enough to climb back down?
As Anna gets to her feet, she sees Theodore reach for the rope. Homer grabs for it, too. "Let me go first," he yells. "I'm company!"
Anna shuts her eyes, sure both Theodore and Homer will fall to their deaths on the barn floor. Since Homer is at least an inch taller than Theodore, he gets the rope away from him.
"Watch me, Anna!" he yells. Gripping the rope, Homer walks to the back of the loft and then runs forward. Without slowing down, he leaps into the air and soars outward.
"'He flies through the air with the greatest of ease,'" Theodore sings, "'the daring young man on the flying trapeze.'"
Homer swings back and forth twice, but on the third swing he shouts a wild war whoop and drops into the hay piled on the other side of the barn. Anna watches Homer get to his feet and brush himself off. As far as she can see, he's still in one piece. No broken bones, no missing teeth, no cuts or bruises. He laughs up at Anna. "You want to go next?"
Anna glances at Theodore and is relieved to see him backing away from the edge of the loft, gripping the rope as if he means to keep it this time. He runs forward like Homer and flings himself into the air, singing the same song about the daring young man. Back and forth, back and forth he goes, and then, like Homer, he plunges down into the pile of hay.
"Four times," Theodore yells. "Beat that, Homer!"
Homer scrambles up the ladder with Theodore behind him. But it's Henry's turn now. He waves the rope in Anna's face. "You got to time it just right," he tells her. "If you swing back and forth too long, you'll miss the hay."
"What happens then?" Anna asks, feeling her knees go weak.
"You'll fall on the floor and bust your head and all your bones. Your innards will splatter like a tomato somebody threw against the wall."
With that, Henry goes to the back of the loft and runs forward. He sails out like the others, but after just two swings he lets go and lands in the straw.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck," cries Homer. "You big chicken!"
The rope swings back and Theodore hands it to Anna. "Your turn."
Homer snatches at the rope. "Give it here," he says. "Girls ain't got the nerve for stuff like this."
But Anna holds on to the rope. Isn't she the only girl in Baltimore who has skated down Bentalou Street, the steepest hill in the city? If she could do that, she can do this.
"Maybe you should give Homer the rope," Theodore says, suddenly worried.
Anna shakes her head and goes to the back of the loft. Holding the rope as tightly as she can, she wills herself to run forward and jump, just like the boys. But
at the very edge of the loft, she falters. Unfortunately, it's too late to stop herself. Anna sails out into the air.
"Let go," Theodore yells, "you're going too slow for
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