Eldon

Eldon is the narrator of the story. He is the younger of two boys who live with their family on a farm in northern Minnesota in the 1930s. Eldon and his family are of Norwegian descent, his ancestors having come from Norway to cut wood in the thick forests of Minnesota.

As a young boy, Eldon is stricken by a serious disease that causes him to sometimes cough blood. The disease has weakened him somewhat, but he is eager to be active and work on the farm. He is close to his older brother, Wayne, but is sometimes angered by him to the point of throwing punches. One of Eldon's favorite things to do is go to town with his father, where he enjoys drinking Coca-cola with salted peanuts in it.

Eldon is a keen observer, and notices the ways in which the passing seasons of the year...