Characters

In the book "The Haymeadow", by Gary Paulsen, the main character is a 14 year old boy named John Barron. John lives and works with his father and two hired hands on a sheep ranch in Wyoming. John's father barely speaks to him and John resents him because of it. John's mother died when he was three in an accident when a horse rolled over on her, and John's father visits her grave every month.
John's great grandfather started the ranch several years earlier and is admired by John. In fact, John has enlarged some old photos of his great grandfather and put them up on his bedroom wall. His great grandfather was known as tough and mean and was able to start the ranch by taking the 960, 000 acres with only a gun and two horses. John looks just like his great grandfather.
Horace Cawley is one of the permanent ranch hands. He's a skinny man with sloping shoulders and a perfect half circle bitten out of his right ear. Cawley doesn't talk much but gives John help when he thinks he needs it.
Tinckner is the other hired hand, known as "Tink", and has been with the ranch ever since his great grandfather was running it. He's the one that usually goes up into the mountains to the haymeadow and tends the sheep for three months in the summer. John was always amazed that Tink could stand staying alone with the sheep for such a long time.