03200cam a22003973u 4500 77372 UtSlPG 20260610134807.0 m cr n 260607r20251869utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PZ Optic, Oliver, 1822-1897 Brake up Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier The Lake Shore series ; 5 Release date is 2025-11-30 Terry Jeffress and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "Brake up" by Oliver Optic is a juvenile adventure novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers on Wolf Penniman, a level‑headed young steamboat captain on Lake Ucayga, navigating a fierce business and personal rivalry between Centreport’s Colonel Wimpleton and Middleport’s Major Toppleton. As their children—Waddie and Minnie Wimpleton, and Tommy and Grace Toppleton—and the vain opportunist Nick Van Wolter get swept into races, rescues, and misunderstandings, the tale mixes brisk action with moral themes of reconciliation and temperance. The opening of the novel shows Wolf running the swift steamer Ucayga and longing to unite the competing steamer and railroad lines, even as Colonel Wimpleton, increasingly intemperate, explodes that he “won’t have” any friendly ties with the Toppletons. Dragging Wolf along to intervene in suspected “courting,” the colonel grows drunker, nearly gets killed by a train, and must be shepherded to safety. The narrative then shifts to Nick Van Wolter, who primps to impress Minnie, crews Waddie’s new (crank) sailboat, and—by foolishly hitching the mainsheet—helps capsize it in a squall; Tommy Toppleton dives in and saves Minnie, winning her warm gratitude. While the soaked party repairs to Grass Springs, Nick slinks off with the boat, runs it aground, then happens to stop Colonel Wimpleton’s runaway horse, earning the colonel’s thanks and a plea for secrecy. Sensing leverage, Nick hints that Tommy and Minnie are becoming attached, inflaming the colonel’s resolve to “stop it.” Returning to Grass Springs, Wolf settles the tipsy magnate in a hotel room to sleep it off, then heads toward the Horse Shoe to see for himself what is truly unfolding. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1869 Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction Teenage boys -- Juvenile fiction Railroad stories Temperance -- Juvenile fiction Steamboats -- Juvenile fiction Kilburn, Samuel Smith, 1831-1903 The Lake Shore series ; 5 https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100105080 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/77372 118092 118092