Solar Storms, Chapters 12-13

How did the original people at North House get their dead to Bone Island?

By sled

Why did they store their dead there?

To wait until they could be buried after the first thaw

What did Europeans leave at Bone Island?

Dead horses, pig bones

Due to the infestation, what did the three British men call Bone Island?

Island of Maggots

What year did the three British men go to Bone Island?

1913

What did they layer over the island to make the bodies decompose?

Lime

How did Angela describe North House, even though it was summer?

Wet, cold, and dark

What did it appear to be made up of?

One large building with a black roof

Who greeted the women at North House?

Dogs, three dark-eyed children, and a big-boned German woman

What did Angela give the children?

Gum

What is the name of the big-boned German woman?

Gita

What does Gita tell the children to get when she sees that Dora-Rouge cannot walk on her own?

Ivan's chair

Why does Gita give them free drinks?

She is lonely for the company of women

What did the women eat at North House?

Pastries, sausage, hot buttered bread

What does Gita think the women are after?

Spanish silver

What is jarring to Angela when they are at North House?

The pulse of human activity was too quick for them

What is the difference between the trappers and the silver-hunters?

The trappers have deeper features and an eye of solitude; the silver-hunters alternated between dreaminess and high anxiety

How do the silver-hunters work?

As if riches would escape them

What do the American Indian men bring Dora-Rouge when they speak with her?

Tobacco, sweet grass, a few yards of nice cloth

Why do the men think there are silver and gold deposits near North House?

A man digging a grave found several Spanish coins

What kind of fever does Angela say the men act like they have?

Buck fever

The silver-hunters have the following lucky charms and what to lead them to the coins?

Prayer, a mother's picture in a silver locket, a rabbit's foot, weather patterns, Ouija board

Why do Gita and her husband make a good couple?

She never stops talking and he rarely speaks

How long has Agnes's package been at North House?

A week or two

What did John Husk send the women?

Agnes: a letter and her coat, Dora-Rouge: canned salmon, Bush: a new lure, Angela: astrology book, chocolate, a letter from Tommy

What does Tommy's letter say?

He might join them in the land of the Fat-Eaters

What two news items was Bush surprised not to see in the paper?

The dam and Wounded Knee

Angela compares the men trying to stake their claim to what scientific principle?

An object in motion

What plants are in Gita's small garden?

Turnips and big-leafed squash

What did the native people bring the women when they heard of their arrival?

Food, shirts, other items they might need, silver earrings

What tape did the earring woman play?

Barry Sadler

Who comes to visit Dora-Rouge and says she is a relative to the Hundred-Year-Old Road people?

Jere

What do all the old people long for again?

The time when everything was still alive

When Gita joins them for tea, what does she bring for them to snack on?

Raisins, almonds, dates

When Bush asks what the silver would mean to the men, what does Agnes reply?

She thought it meant the world was ending

Who is quoted as saying, "We white men have a disease of the heart, and the only thing that can cure it is gold"?

Cortes

When the women are back on their journey, what does Angela say they slipped back into?

A deep wildness, into beauty and eariness

What is the name of the place on the edge of the mainland that had no electric light since 1920?

The Place of the Sleepers

Who starts developing headaches and fever?

Agnes

What did Bush boil to try to help Agnes?

Willow bark tea

Where does Dora-Rouge think they will find wolfsband and/or red root?

The Island of Flowers

What does Angela mistake for snow?

Flower petals floating on water

What does Dora-Rouge call the old land?

Ahani

What does she believe is wrong with Agnes?

Her blood's not right

Why does Dora-Rouge think Angela should go find the plants?

She is the one who dreamed it and it might call to her

Who told Dora-Rouge where to find the wolfsbane?

Luther

Even though she needs to move quickly and is worried about Agnes, how does Angela feel on her solitary journey?

Peaceful

What does Angela see as she is nearing the other women?

A raft of blue flowers

What is the raft with blue flowers?

Agnes's body

When Angela falls asleep crying, what does she dream about?

Agnes and the bear walking together in the yellow sky

How long had Angela been gone?

Three days

Why is Dora-Rouge angry at Bush?

She wants to stay with Agnes instead of travelling

Why does Dora-Rouge believe Agnes died?

She thinks her death was part of the deal she'd made with the water

What does Bush interpret as a good sign?

Plentiful moose tracks

What is now in place of the lake they were expecting to see?

Mud flats

What does Angela say is larger even than the moose?

Gravity

What is happening to the moose?

It is sinking in the mud

Why do the women feel suddenly hopeless?

They realize they can't cross the mudflats and will have to take a more exhausting journey

At the end of Chapter 12, what do they have left to eat?

A few oats and rice

When questioning their reasons for taking the journey at the beginning of Chapter 13, Angela asks what?

If they had done it for two of them to die, for her to see a mother who abused her, for Bush to fight injustice

How does Angela describe the target of Bush's rage?

Governments that mistreated their earthbound people

How far away was the Two-Wown Post from where the women landed?

10 minutes

Why is the post lacking people?

The townspeople all gathered elsewhere to talk about the continued building of dams

What is first listed as items you could purchase at the Two-Town Post?

Live bait, cloth, shoptguns, gun oil, traps, Campbell's soup, knives, hardware

Who is the owner-through-inheritance of the post?

Mr. Orensen

At the beginning of Chaper 13, why does Angela begin to cry?

She feels this trip and Agnes's death are her fault

Why is the man suspicious of the women?

They traveled alone and he thinks they may be there to cause trouble

Who ate the people clashing with?

The government, the police, and BEEVCO

Who told Dora-Rouge that she made a bad deal before and that he was mad at her?

Luther

Why does Angela call every wolf grandmother?

In case it is Agnes

What town is next to the Fat-Eaters?

Holy String Town

How much does it cost to rent a towel?

$0.50

What does Angela describe as having traveled rivers, the many hands of touching gods?

Hot water

What does Angela now call herself?

Angel Iron

When they returned, freshly showered, how does Dora-Rouge describe Bush and Angel?

Like a hundred dollars

Why does Bush say that Dora-Rouge had to get new teeth?

She used to open Coke bottles with her others

How did Holy String Town get its name?

Due to the fact that the houses seem to look like a set of rosary beads

How did the natives enter the white world?

Like breech births, feet first

What did the natives take from the white world?

Clothing

What machines are crowding Holy String Town?

Dump trucks, front-loaders, drilling rigs

What do Mrs. Lampier and Frenchie have in common?

Their lipstick

What is described as a shiny diamond on the hand of a worn-out woman?

The living room chandelier

What is the bedding like in the room?

Two twin beds and a cot

Which street is the clinic on?

Potelee Road

How much was the deposit for the room?

$12

When they see that the clinic is closed, where are they directed to find a wheelchair?

Father Bly at the rectory

What kind of knocker was on the rectory door?

A fish

The town of the Fat-Eaters was laid out like a...

cross

Where do they finally go to find a wheelchair?

The cathedral of miracles

What is in the opening of the floor of the cathedral of miracles?

Sacred earth

Which wheelchair did Bush select?

The white wicher one with Mother Jordan written on the back

How many scraggly trees are at the bottom of the road?

Four

When Dora-Rouge sits in the chair, what does she say is the best part about it?

It creaks and people will hear her coming

What does Dora-Rouge eat at her first stop in town?

A hot dog and a Coke

Why does Dora-Rouge smile for the third time that first day in the town of the Fat-Eaters?

She sees them in the mirror and thinks they look horrible

Who did the boys say stole their belongings?

Jon