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Description edit
Affairs of the heart, murder, suicide, riot, gossip, politics, heroism, cowardice--Witless bubbles over with the passionate extremes of life. Two peoples settle in Britts Mill, a small town in Southern Wisconsin, in the middle of the nineteenth century. The first are fun loving, free-spirited... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Two peoples settle in Britts Mill, a small town in Southern Wisconsin, in the middle of the nineteenth century. The first are fun loving, free-spirited people who build the town’s dance hall and saloon. They love, they dance, they play cards, they pull off pranks, they build their dreams. ... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters/People edit
- Christie Cambridge: student of Mr. (Arthur) Woodaepfel
- Arthur Woodaepfel: Founds a school reflecting his progressive views regarding education and life.
- Ernie Cambridge: Christie's father
- Joel Britts: Joel traveled with his family in 1846 from Ohio to Wisconsinmarried with two sonswife: Ceciliasons: George - 19; Lee 18
- Cecilia Britts: She and her husband Joel and their two sons George and Lee traveled from Ohio to Wisconsin in 1846
- May Britts: May is Joel and Cecilia's daughter.
- Christian Baird: wife - Mary
- Willie: Add a description of this character.
- Earl McIntire
- Carl Hudson
- Jack Hudson
- Lena Olson
Quotes edit
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“Human spirits are inherently and persistently isolated from each other. Such is our nature and our circumstance. Only a triumph of will and a shower of good fortune can bring human spirits together into conspiracy. When this occurs it is a miracle in the universe, like a soap bubble formed from the diverse elements of air and water. The bubble is a perfect sphere in a world of imperfect, odd, awkward shapes. Immensely powerful in its perfection, it can break light down into its parts. Immensely fragile, it disappears without residue at the slightest disturbance. Like the soap bubble, nothing is more powerful than a conspiracy of human spirits, or more fragile.”
Arthur -
““There are two skills worth cultivating: learning and forgetting. Once you have mastered both you are prepared for the future by the former and the past by the latter.””
Arthur -
““Every choice has a better and a worse. That is the essence of choice. Every rational man would choose the better if he recognized it. That is the essence of rationality. Only ignorance stands in the way of every one of us making the same right choices.””
Hubert Dartmouth III -
““Insofar as we know, man is the only animal who evaluates circumstances and determines purposes on a timescale that goes beyond the immediate. The world has no other instance of this phenomenon and is not much enriched by the one it has.””
Arthur Woodaepfel -
““Religious first principles have but one purpose. They spare their advocates from confronting the terrible burden of responsibility that comes with knowing that all of our religious musings are, in the end, stories, nothing but stories.””
Arthur Woodaepfel -
“The choice is to believe in life after death or to suffer the pain of knowing that a friend is lost forever. When that friend is oneself the impetus to believe is overwhelming.”
Arthur Woodaepfel -
“Accepting oneself as the sole basis for one’s values and choices must bring with it a willingness to accept the same for all others. I will be who I must be, given who I am. You will be who you must be, given who you are. To the extent that these are in harmony there is a basis for friendship, and that, I suspect, is the only worthwhile result.”
Arthur Woodaepfel -
“Under close scrutiny, interpretations of reality that purport to establish a basis for determining good from evil and right from wrong are not only fruitless, they are quite silly.”
Arthur Woodaepfel
Setting & Locations edit
- Britts Mill: the town surrounding the sawmill, established by the Britts family (Joel and sons)
First Sentence edit
"Mr. Arthur! Mr. Arthur! I have a question!" Christie Cambridge stretched to raise her hand as high as she could without leaving her seat.
Table of Contents edit
Prologue: Christie asks a question--1
chapter 01: Joel Britts and the Founding of Britts Mill--5
chapter 02: Hubert William Dartmouth and the Founding of the Brethren of the Bridge--37
chapter 03: Hubert William Dartmouth II and the Founding of the Church of the Bridge--61
chapter 04: Arthur Woodaepfel and the Founding of the Britts Mill School--73
chapter 05: Joel Britts’ Funeral--105
chapter 06: The Takeover--113
chapter 07: Arthur and Anna Strike an Alliance--131
chapter 08: The Church Plans a Holiday--149
chapter 09: Arthur and Anna Lose a Friend--159
chapter 10: Dr. Alex O’Connor and the Founding of the Witless Warriors--175
chapter 11: Arthur and Anna are Discovered--197
chapter 12: George Britts and Arthur Woodaepfel Build a School--217
chapter 13: The New School is Compared to the Old--229
chapter 14: A Church Secret is Exposed--241
chapter 15: Desecration of the Founders’ Cemetery--251
chapter 16: The Warriors Final Game--265
chapter 17: Arthur Woodaepfel: The Fall--281
chapter 18: Competition for the Enterprise, None for the Warriors--303
chapter 19: A Letter Arrives from St. Louis--315
chapter 20: Scooter Makes his Last Relay Throw--345
chapter 21: Jack Hayes Explains the Mysteries--361
chapter 22: Daisy and Bastion Prepare for Winter--375
Authors & Contributors edit
- Dennis Vickers (Author)
Subjects edit
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