Kreuz und Quer, Dritter Band / Neue gesammelte Erzählungen

A third volume gathers short narratives that depict frontier and wartime environments, focusing on life in small towns and the surrounding wilderness where local routines collide with armed bands and partisan tensions. Episodes show gatherings, improvised commerce, drinking, rumor-driven decisions, and confrontations that test loyalty and self-preservation. Other stories shift among distant regions to present a compact variety of encounters, including violent contests, meetings with local authorities, and travel episodes. The collection emphasizes brisk storytelling, vivid local detail, and the practical consequences of adventure and conflict for ordinary people.