Hannah Read Online Free Page A

people read with their fingers and write by poking at the paper with something called a stylus. Verna described the pictures to me. Then she whispered, “Hannah, it says it costs five dollars!” I knew Papa would never be able to save that much, so I tried to forget about it.

7
    The students at school were given three days off toward the end of October to help with the potato harvest. In the sandy soil of northern Michigan, potatoes were the best crop. Papa said all you had to do was tuck them into the ground in the spring and then stand back. Everyone, from the little children to the grandmothers and grandfathers, turned out for the harvest. People went from farm to farm to help their neighbors.
    Each year there was a contest on the first day of the harvest. All the potato farmers chipped in some money, and whoever dug up the most potatoes got a prize. For the last two years Carl Kleino had won.
    Afterwards there was a huge supper with singing and dancing. Next to Christmas, it was the biggest celebration of the year. Even though I couldn’t help with the harvest, Mama and Papa always took me. This year Miss Robbin was going to dig potatoes too. “I’ve been teaching for three weeks. Now it’s time I learned something,” she said.
    The harvest started at the Hermans’ farm. The Hermans had the county’s biggest potato fields. Mrs. Herman was a good cook, so everyone looked forward to the huge meal she put on. When the whistle blew to begin the contest, even Johnny ran out to dig potatoes. I was sitting by myself at the edge of the field where Mama and Papa had left me. I could hear the harvesters call to one another, making jokes about who was getting the most potatoes. Someone came up to me and said, “Come on, Hannah, you’ve got to help.” It was Effie from school.
    Verna was with her. “I’ll show you where to dig, Hannah,” Verna said. I let them lead me onto the potato field. “Carl is turning over the ground, so all we have to do is pick the potatoes up and put them in the bushel baskets,” Effie said.
    “Why is he letting us pick up his potatoes?” I asked. “He’ll never win the contest that way.”
    “It was his idea,” Verna said. By now I was reaching down into the soft, sandy ground for the potatoes. They had the earth’s warmness. I found first one, and then another and another. Discovering gold, I thought, couldn’t be more exciting.
    I felt for the bushel basket next to me and dropped the potatoes in. When I heard other potatoes being dropped into the basket, I thought they were Effie’s and Verna’s. Someone kept coming up to leave a new basket and carry the full one away. I could hear the other students from school nearby. I could hear Carl, too. He was urging everyone to work faster.

    Hours went by. I moved down one furrow and up another, feeling for the hard lumps in the soft sand. My back ached and my shoes were filled with sand and my knees hurt from kneeling. I didn’t care, though. I just wanted to get as many potatoes as I could. It felt wonderful to be doing what everyone else was doing.
    Finally, just when I thought I couldn’t heave another potato into a basket, the whistle blew. There were cries of “Hurrah!” I could hear giggles all around me. I recognized the voices from school. “Why is everyone laughing?” I asked Verna.
    She was giggling too. “You’ll find out,” she said.
    “Attention, everyone.” It was Mr. Herman. “I have good news. This year we have a special prize of five dollars to award.” At the mention of so large an amount, there was a lot of clapping and cheering. “All right. Quiet down. I know you are all waiting to hear who harvested the most potatoes. The winner is Hannah Thomas.”
    I couldn’t believe my ears. I just stood where I was. “Go on up and get your prize, Hannah,” called Papa. Miss Robbin gave me a hug, and Mama reached down and squeezed my hand.
    Verna pulled me toward Mr. Herman. “How could I be the one to