Elijah of Buxton

Elijah Freeman was the first baby to be born in the Settlement of Buxton, a fact of which he is very proud. He is a very sensitive boy and wants badly not to be seen by his mother or others as "fra-gile," but he cries very easily and becomes extremely frightened to the point of being disoriented. He is not quite twelve in this story, but is beginning to see what it might take to be respected as a grownup. He works very hard for a child, but he also plays freely, exploring the woods and lakes of the region. His proudest accomplishment is that he has taught himself how to "chunk" rocks with enough power and accuracy to kill a swimming fish or take down a vicious dog. He and his best friend Cooter are close, although Cooter seems to get into more trouble than...