Project Gutenberg 2021-09-27 Public domain in the USA. 189 Bixby, Jerome 1923 1998 Bixby, Jay Lewis Bixby, Jerry Bixby, Drexel Jerome Lewis Neal, Harry Drexel, Jay B. Lewis, D. B. Lewis, D.B. Terry, W. E. 1921 1992 Terry, Willis E. Terry, Bill The Battle of the Bells Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Battle of the Bells" by Jerome Bixby is a short story published in the mid-20th century, specifically in 1954. This humorous tale explores the themes of practical jokes and moral introspection against the backdrop of a small town in western Pennsylvania. It contrasts the innocence of small-town life with the complexities of human nature and the divine. The story centers on Charley Mason, a town resident known for his practical jokes aimed at unsuspecting travelers who stop at his outhouse. Charley’s antics take an unexpected turn when a fat woman from the city becomes his latest victim, launching into a tirade about morality and sin, which catches the attention of heavenly and hellish beings. A young man representing good and a dark figure representing evil engage in a cosmic struggle initiated by Charley's prank, debating the nature of good and evil and the impact of such seemingly innocent jokes on the human soul. Ultimately, the story culminates in a humorous and unexpected resolution that emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the inner battle against temptation, leaving readers to ponder the fine line between humor and insensitivity. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.4 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories Practical jokes -- Fiction Pennsylvania -- Fiction Devil -- Fiction Angels -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour Category: American Literature 56369 2025-07-26T09:08:50.504775 text/html 32808 2024-10-18T16:24:31 text/html 374508 2025-07-26T09:08:52.746831 application/epub+zip 373347 2025-07-26T09:08:51.052820 application/epub+zip 76584 2025-07-26T09:08:50.721780 application/epub+zip 411696 2025-07-26T09:08:54.001779 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 403859 2025-07-26T09:08:52.337786 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 107251 2022-09-29T20:34:01.881369 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 49505 2025-07-26T09:08:50.373793 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 29670 2024-10-18T16:24:31 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18481 2025-07-26T09:08:54.151765 application/rdf+xml 27647 2025-07-26T09:08:50.881764 image/jpeg 4799 2025-07-26T09:08:50.801777 image/jpeg 1079068 2025-07-26T09:08:50.522790 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia