Battle On! - Softcover

Arthur, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0968302009 ISBN 13: 9780968302002

Publisher: Wilson Freelance, 1997

Synopsis

Battle On! is a whimsical warm collection of short stories. Set on a small Canadian river, the stories cover a broad spectrum of human trials and tribulations. The author's writing is in the tradition of oral storytelling. Battle On! is filled with real conversation, plot twists, and gentle character humor. A very relaxing, and entertaining read.

About this title

About the Author

Alan Arthur is a former teacher, and was born and raised in a very rural area of Canada, beside a small river. His childhood experiences form the basis for his rural writing. He is a father of five, and graduated from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, and has been writing creatively sicne the age of 7, at the bequest of people around him, including teachers, and friends.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From 'The Cowboy Hat' "We'll see." Henry took the hat off, gave it to Denys, paid the man a quarter, and stepped right up. He took a few practice two-handed imaginary wallops, the heavy pounder stopping short of making dents in the ground. When he was ready he stepped on the platform, swung the thing with the might of a guy whose life was in jeopardy, and watched the clanger rise above him, striking the bell. He turned proudly back to look at the two overwhelmed buddies, both still shocked at the outcome. "There. Beat that, Boys!" The attendant handed him the prize, a fat cigar. No doubt a cheap one.

Henry's success did not sit well with Paul. "Well, geez, Henry. If you can do it, so can I. You've never beat your big brother at anything." Of course Henry had beat him at lots of things but Paul had selective memory.

Paul took the post maul from Henry's outstretched hands and proceeded to line himself up similar to the way Henry had. As Henry was successful, so too should he be. He lifted the sledge far above his head and brought it down with as much force as he could muster but missed the circular mark indicating where to hit. The clanger failed to move upwards at all. "Damn! I missed it. I would have hit it hard enough, too."

So he paid the man another quarter, and realigned himself to try again. The second attempt was better at least, than the first, but still the clanger only rocketed about three fourths of the way up the pole. Paul watched the upward movement but could not believe it when the clanger returned to the ground. "I let up on how hard I swung, so I wouldn't miss the circle again. You must have hit it just in the right spot, Henry," he said, as he paid another quarter for try number three. "This time I'm gonna swing hard, and accurate."

Try number three was only slightly better than try number two, but still there was a long way to go to attain success. Paul looked angrier as he tried for the fourth time and angrier still on the fifth. "You were just lucky. I bet you couldn't do it again," he dared.

The caretaker of the event stepped in, informing them more formally. "We usually only allow a person to get one cigar at a time. Otherwise someone might come along and clean me out."

"But my brother here was just lucky. Just let him do it again. Don't even give him a cigar, if you don't want to. I'll pay for his try and it'll be fun to see him not make it." Paul convinced the man, who didn't need to be convinced. Competition amongst friends was what made his racket a successful one.

Henry took the maul from his brother, strode up confidently, took aim, and swung another mighty blow to the red rubbery marker below. To Paul's dismay, the bell on top rang again, even louder than it had the first time. "There," gleamed Henry. "It's easy!"

Edition details

• Publisher: Wilson Freelance
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0968302009
• ISBN 13: 9780968302002
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 125