These fictional tales provide a continuous diversity of color and texture, a literary smorgasbord, as it were, with no attention to chronology or subject. All are derived from my personal experiences and/or historical record, and therein lies their credibility. But at some point in most of them, there is that departure from reality which substantiates their genre. Several stories juxtapose earthshaking events with their effects on the lives of the protagonists. Many are commentaries on the fortuities of fate. There is a pervasive belief that righteousness will prevail, and justice will be meted out commensurately. But as in life, exceptions to this ideal occur, alas A droll humor is expressed frequently, and a less subtle one occasionally. Powerful emotional situations are portrayed, which serve to involve the reader and elicit his empathy. Throughout the stories is depicted the wonderment, the glory, and the power of nature. The salient thread unifying the tales is suggested by the book's title. The vagaries of fortune, ever unpredictable, work thei pranks on us, sometimes to our sorrow, but often to our joy