Rascal

The Spanish Flu arrives in Sterling’s town, wreaking havoc on the community and claiming more local lives than the war has. Schools close, and people start wearing masks. Sterling gets the flu, luckily somewhat mildly, but still bad enough to cause concern. His father takes him and Rascal out to his brother Fred’s family farm, so that Fred’s wife Lillie can help look after Sterling.

Lillie is a tireless and selfless domestic workhorse. In contrast to his bashful wife, Fred is a coarse fellow but an extremely hard worker as well, getting up before dawn every day to work the large farm alongside his four sons. When Lillie takes them in and offers them food, Sterling’s father seems to take her for granted just as much as Fred and the boys do, so Sterling takes it upon himself to express his gratitude. Sterling recalls how his father similarly took his mother for granted in domestic work.

Sterling spends several days recuperating in bed. One evening, Lillie reads to the whole family, while Rascal prowls about, inspecting the impressive array of taxidermy. Fred comments that Rascal looks fat enough to eat, and Sterling awkwardly changes the subject. Fred clearly has a callous attitude toward animal life, bragging about how he used to kill passenger pigeons en masse. This prompts a rare rebuke from Lillie, who points out that they’re now extinct. Soon, the family drifts off to sleep as Lillie reads.

On the fifth day, Sterling joins the family for pre-dawn “first breakfast” (a hearty meal) before heading out in the dark to start milking cows. In the following days, Sterling helps as he can but is still too weak for serious labor, leaving him lots of playtime with Rascal, who has taken a liking to all the farm animals except pigs.

One day, Aunt Lillie gives Rascal his first treat of the honey they produce, which makes him wild with delight. She compliments Sterling on his charming raccoon, and Sterling suddenly feels the urge to express how much she means to him. He doesn’t, but senses that she understands.

On Sterling’s 12th birthday, an armistice in Europe is announced. Sterling is so thrilled that Herschel will be coming home safe that he decides to take Rascal out on a pony ride. In the peaceful woods, Sterling contemplates peace on earth.

That night for dinner, Lillie cooks a huge feast as a sendoff for Sterling and his father, who will be leaving tomorrow. They suddenly realize they forgot Sterling’s birthday and sing for him. Sterling’s father presents him with a family heirloom, a watch with a chain made of his mother’s braided hair.

Back in town, the town celebrates the armistice with a parade. Sterling then starts preparing his muskrat traps for the season. He thinks about raccoon trappers, however, looks at Rascal, and passionately repents, hugging Rascal and swearing never to trap an animal again.