The Measure of a Heart Read Online Free PDF

stammered.
    “I could mail one now and then—or send it out to you with the Anguses when they come to the city. They come in every now and then for a convention or meeting. Take one now and send it back with them sometime.”
    “Oh, but I—”
    “Go ahead,” he encouraged. “The Anguses will be glad to act as courier. Send it back with them whenever you are through with it, and I will send you something else.”
    “If—if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Anna breathed, hardly able to believe the possibility.
    “No trouble at all. I’ll be glad to,” he promised.
    Anna chose a book as quickly as she could make her decision, then turned to him, unable to express her deep gratitude.
    He held his hand out to her. “Goodbye, Anna,” he said simply. “I’ll be in touch.”
    Anna went home, a book tucked beneath her arm. The summer hadn’t ended her study after all. She had a new book to read—and he promised that he would send another as soon as she was done with this one. Anna felt blessed indeed. The more she learned, the more she wanted to learn.

    A busy fall and winter kept Anna busy with canning and taking in the garden, cooking for the harvest crew, and long days of tucking things in for winter. Evenings often found her with old mittens and socks to be darned or new ones to be knitted. Then her mother spent a few weeks in bed. The doctor called it pleurisy. Anna worried, but carried on the double burden of looking after the household.
    She did not have as much time to spend reading as she had wished. The winter days were much shorter now, and even the long evenings seemed to get taken up with necessary activities.
    But when she could, Anna returned to her books. True to his word, Austin Barker sent new books periodically. And with the books came brief letters telling of his seminary studies. Occasionally the letters asked questions of Anna. What did she think of such and such a chapter? What position did she feel one should take on a certain issue? What was her understanding of a certain text? Anna always answered as best she could, but she felt so inadequate even to be discussing such important topics with a seminary student.
    Anna always returned the previously borrowed book immediately upon receipt of a new one. She didn’t wish to take advantage of his generosity.
    Spring came. Anna heard the call of killdeers, the song of the robin. It would soon be time to plant the garden again. She loved the spring. Even loved the hard toil that it brought with it. It seemed to invigorate her—give her a new purpose in life. But she knew instinctively that it would mean less time in the books. Her mother needed her for the many household and garden tasks that awaited them.
    Anna wondered that she had been humored for as long as she had. No other girl her age was given time to spend reading and studying. She felt deep indebtedness to her mother—and thankfulness to her father that he hadn’t interfered with the arrangement. She determined that she would not presume on her parents. She would allow herself one hour of study—at night—after the usual duties had been accomplished. And she would work doubly hard at the many tasks that needed to be cared for.

    Anna did indeed work hard in the kitchen, the garden, and at the scrub board in the yard under the spreading Manitoba maple. Some nights she was much too tired to spend even one hour in reading. But she tried to make up for it on other evenings.
    The boys were growing. Adam, having completed his eighth grade, was finished at the local school. He was now doing a man’s work at the side of his father.
    Horace, the next in line, had taken over Adam’s chores, and each boy shifted up the line, taking on added responsibility. Even young Petey, now three, had been given some simple tasks to perform.
    And Mrs. Trent leaned increasingly on Anna. Both as co-laborer and as companion. She talked while they worked together, her mind skipping from one topic to