Anna All Year Round by Mary Downing Hahn, Diane de Groat Page A

automobiles," she says. "They aren't safe."
    "I'll drive just as slowly as a horse walks," Uncle Henry promises.
    Anna holds her breath and waits for Mother to answer.
    "You can come with us, Lizzie," Uncle Henry offers.
    "Me ride in a car?" Mother's face turns pink at the very thought. "Only if May comes, too."
    Aunt May pops outside just as if she knew what Mother would say. "Come, Lizzie," she says. "You must not be so old-fashioned, so
altmodisch.
Automobiles are here to stay,
meine Schwester!
"
    Uncle Henry opens the limousine door with a flourish and signals to Anna. "You may ride in the front seat," he says.
    Anna climbs into the car and sinks into the soft, leather seat. She feels like a princess already.
    Mother stays on the sidewalk, watching, her eyes full of worry.

    "Get in, Mother," Anna urges.
    "Yes," Aunt May says. "You're holding up the fun, Lizzie."
    Mother doesn't look happy, but she climbs cautiously into the back seat with Aunt May. When Fritzi jumps in between the sisters, Mother says, "I will not sit beside that ugly
Hund,
May."
    Anna calls to Fritzi and he joins her in the front seat next to Uncle Henry. "Don't pay attention to Mother," Anna whispers in Fritzi's ear. "You're beautiful and I love you."
    Fritzi licks Anna's nose and wags his stubby little tail. He pants doggy breath in her face and slobbers on her knee. Anna hugs Fritzi tight. If he had not gotten into a fight with Duke, Anna would not be sitting in the limousine's front seat.
    "Are you ladies ready?" Uncle Henry asks.
    "Yes, yes," Anna cries and bounces on the seat.
    Uncle Henry starts the engine. What a noise it makes. Anna puts her hands over her ears and laughs out loud. In the back seat, Mother murmurs a prayer in German. Aunt May tells her not to worry.
    As he pulls away from the curb, Uncle Henry toots the horn. Ooga, ooga! Anna glimpses her neighbors' faces peeking out from behind their lace curtains. She sits up straight and smiles at Mr. O'Neil. She smiles at Mrs. Spratt. She even smiles at Mrs. Anderson.
    Mr. O'Neil and Mrs. Spratt smile and wave at Anna, but Mrs. Anderson frowns and closes her curtains with a snap, right on Duke's nose.
    Fritzi sees Duke and begins to bark. Anna holds his collar tightly to keep him from jumping out. In the back seat Mother mutters something about that noisy
Hund.
    Uncle Henry passes Rosa and Beatrice. They look up from their hopscotch game and see Anna in the front seat of the limousine. Anna sticks her nose up in the air and waves in what she hopes is a royal way. Rosa and Beatrice wave back, but they don't smile. Today Anna is a princess and Rosa and Beatrice are her subjects.
    Uncle Henry drives slowly downhill toward North Avenue. It's a little like riding the roller coaster at Gwynne Oak amusement park, but not as fast. And not as scary. Like Fritzi, Anna leans out of the limousine and gulps the air blowing in her face.
    At the bottom of the hill, Uncle Henry waits for a trolley to pass. Charlie comes around the corner, his hands in his pockets. Like Rosa and Beatrice, he's amazed to see Anna riding in the front seat of a limousine.
    Anna touches Uncle Henry's sleeve. "Charlie helped stop the fight, too," she whispers."Can he come with us?"
    "Of course," says Uncle Henry. He beckons to Charlie. "Would you like to go for a ride?"
    Charlie runs to the car, a big grin on his face, and climbs into the front seat with Anna and Fritzi. Like Anna, Charlie has never ridden in a car. He's just as excited as she is.
    "What's this for?" Charlie points at a knob on the dashboard. Before Uncle Henry can tell him, Charlie points at something else. "What's that do?"
    Uncle Henry answers all of Charlie's questions. While he talks, he follows the trolley downtown. Steering carefully, he weaves around horses and carts, blowing the horn now and then at other cars.
    Sometimes the car's horn startles a horse, and the cart driver shouts at Uncle Henry. When this happens, Mother reaches forward and covers