The Uncertainties of Life
by
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Phil Burns stepped forward, pulling off his belt, he asked, “Will this work?”
Leo took the belt, and he and Ace secured the bathroom door. As they finished, they heard a crash, and turned to see Abe Patterson holding the top part of a shattered whiskey bottle in his right hand.
“What the hell is this all about?” asked Curtis.
“That dirty bastard is gonna be ragin’ when he comes out of there,” Abe answered, “I’ll make hamburger out of him if he comes near me.”
“What did you do with the rest of the whiskey?” Ace asked.
“There was only one good shot left, and I drank that before I busted the bottle, hell! I needed that after Reins exposed himself,” the short man croaked.
Darkness had set in, and the lights of
When Robins-Reins realized he was locked in the bathroom. He began pounding on the door. Then he began to hit the door with his shoulder. The train was slowing as it entered the
“That son-of-a-bitch is tryin’ to break the door down,” observed Hanson.
“I don’t think he’s gonna hurt that door much,” Leo Curtis argued.
At that moment to everyone’s surprise, Phil Burns’ belt snapped, and Reins lurched out into the coach, red faced and angry. He turned toward the exit of the slowing coach.
Leo Curtis stepped into the aisle behind Reins, and grabbed the man by the shoulder. “You Nazi bastard,” Curtis said evenly, “you’re not goin’ anywhere!”
Ace fell in beside his friend. But the man with the blond wavy hair said, “Let me have him Ace. I can handle this Nazi bastard.”
Reins turned, throwing the briefcase back, behind him, toward the door of the coach. As he did so, he threw a punch at the smaller man who confronted him. But Leo Curtis was fast. He dodged, and the German’s punch barely skimmed Leo’s shoulder. Curtis threw a right at the other man’s face. Reins moved away from the punch. But Leo caught him with a hard left jab to the midsection. The German was tough. He threw another haymaker at his opponent’s head. Which Leo ducked easily, Reins moved rapidly forward, trying to catch the rancher in the grip of his powerful arms. Curtis came up with a punch with all his weight, and power behind it. He caught the German square on the chin as he came forward. The big man went down.
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About the Book
“The Uncertainties of Life” is written strictly as a work of fiction. An incident occurred, however, during World War II, where a German spy, and his inseparable briefcase, managed to board a train at
While, in reality, there were no scenes of violence, there was a considerable exchange of verbiage, once the ranchers discovered the man was a spy. The author, in the fictional version of the story, has created an atmosphere more of action and suspense.
The spy left the train as it slowed while entering the
The story covers ranching throughout a large part of the twentieth century, describing the problems brought on by wars, drought, and depression. It covers the era of depending upon mechanical power. History unfolds as the author includes incidents experienced by himself and others he has known.
“The Uncertainties of Life” is not a story of fantasy or high adventure. It is a story of people and of the changing times. The story of a man who found himself in a situation that haunted him throughout the rest of his life. A situation in, which anyone could find themselves, and should cause the reader to pause and ask, “HOW WOULD I RESPOND TO SUCH AN EVENT?”
About the Author
The author, Arnold Hokanson, is a lifelong resident of north central
He and his wife Joy (Sug) reside on their
Many of the incidents referred to in the story, have been taken from actual incidents experienced by the author.
His short stories and columns have been published in a number of publications across the west.