The Cyclists' Raid by Frank Rooney
"The Cyclists' Raid" by Frank Rooney is a narrative set in a small town in California's San Joaquin Valley, where the arrival of a group of motorcyclists from Los Angeles disrupts the peace and tranquility of the community. The protagonist, Joel Bleeker, a World War II lieutenant colonel and widowed hotelier, is managing his hotel alongside his teenage daughter, Cathy. The story begins when the noisy bikers, led by the charismatic Gar Simpson, invade the hotel seeking accommodations and food, causing unease among the townspeople.
As the bikers indulge in alcohol and reckless behavior, tension escalates, culminating in a tragic accident that severely injures Cathy. Despite attempts to maintain order and protect his daughter, Bleeker's efforts fail, leading to her death. This event triggers a violent response from the townspeople towards one of the bikers, who experiences guilt and vulnerability. The narrative explores themes of grief, community, and the aftermath of violence, culminating in Bleeker's internal struggle as he grapples with his loss and the need to come to terms with the living, represented by the remorseful biker. The story captures a poignant moment of human connection amidst chaos and tragedy.
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The Cyclists' Raid by Frank Rooney
First published: 1951
Type of plot: Realism
Time of work: The late 1940's
Locale: Central California
Principal Characters:
Joel Bleeker , a widowed hotel ownerCathy Bleeker , his seventeen-year-old daughterBret Timmons , Cathy's boyfriend, a drugstore ownerFrancis LaSalle , co-owner of a hardware storeGar Simpson , the leader of the Angelenos, a motorcycle gangAn unnamed Angeleno , who is different from the others
The Story
The tranquillity of a small town in California's San Joaquin Valley is shattered toward sunset one day when the Angelenos, a band of motorcyclists from Los Angeles, arrive unannounced, planning to spend the night and part of the next day.
Joel Bleeker, a lieutenant colonel during World War II, has returned from overseas to this peaceful haven, where he operates one of the town's two hotels. Bleeker's wife died two years earlier, her neck broken when she was thrown from a horse. Bleeker now lives a quiet and methodical existence, managing a small hotel with the help of his seventeen-year-old daughter, Cathy. Each day at precisely the same time, he checks his old redwood clock in the lobby against the railroad watch that he wears on a chain and keeps in his pocket.
On the day of the story, when Bleeker hears a noise that he mistakes for aircraft engines, he moves the hands of his redwood clock ahead a minute and a half before investigating the commotion. On the veranda of the hotel, Cathy sits with Francis LaSalle and Bret Timmons, local businessmen. Suddenly, the noise becomes so great that no one can be heard above the din. A column of red motorcycles invades the hotel like an army column bent on taking a town. It is led by a man on a white motorcycle, Gar Simpson, unctuously polite and powerfully commanding.
Simpson addresses Bleeker by name, asking whether his motorcyclists might use the hotel's facilities, for which he offers to pay. He also asks whether Bleeker's dining room can feed twenty of the men; the rest will eat elsewhere. The bikers ogle Cathy, thereby unnerving her father, who agrees to feed part of the contingent and allows them the use of the downstairs washroom. Bleeker tells Cathy to work in the kitchen that night instead of serving in the dining room.
The bikers resemble visitors from outer space. Dressed alike, they perform with great precision, obey their "general," who understands his men well, and never remove the green motorcycle goggles that make them look like bug-eyed aliens. As their drinking continues, they sing loudly and begin to race their motorcycles along the town's main street. They also begin to damage Bleeker's hotel, but Simpson promises to pay reparations.
Assured that Cathy is safely ensconced in her bedroom, Bleeker walks down the street to Cunningham's Bar, where one biker, about twenty-five, stands out from the rest. He sits alone drinking Coca-Cola. Bleeker joins him, but the din is too great for sustained conversation. Nevertheless, he learns that beer makes this biker sick, as do many of his fellow bikers' activities. This biker is the only one who removes his goggles.
Before long, the other bikers are out of control. Bleeker returns to his hotel, where he checks on Cathy. He escorts back to the lobby an Angeleno whom he finds on the second floor trying to enter rooms. Someone has struck Francis LaSalle, who is now sprawled uninjured on the floor. Gar Simpson approaches Bleeker, takes out a wallet, and puts money in front of him to cover the damage the bikers have done to his hotel.
Two motorcycles zoom through the lobby door; one of them roars through the lobby, striking Cathy at the foot of the stairs, injuring her badly. A doctor is summoned. After he administers first aid and has her taken to his office, she dies.
Grief-stricken, Bleeker returns to his hotel, where the boy with whom he spoke earlier appears, suffering pangs of guilt over what has happened. Bleeker observes him closely. Townspeople begin to beat the biker, knocking him down and stamping him maniacally. Bleeker, too, finds himself pummeling the boy's body, but soon he is on the ground, cradling the boy's head on his lap, trying to protect him from the others.
The story ends with Bleeker standing on his hotel veranda, physically and emotionally numb. He turns to go into the hotel, knowing that there is time for him to make his peace with the dead but that now he must make his peace with the living, represented by the boy.