The bar act

The bar act by Bud La Mar is a Western short story written in the late 1920s. The tale explores a rodeo trick-riding contest upended by a mysterious new stunt dubbed “the Bar Act,” focusing on rivalry, ingenuity, and showmanship among hard-pressed cowboys. Leonard Carter, a celebrated trick rider known for unveiling last-minute stunts, alarms his rivals when the program lists his new “Bar Act.” They attempt to spy on him, only to be decoyed on a grueling night chase to a graveyard. At the show, Carter dazzles with standard tricks, then bolts a Ford axle to his saddle and spins on it at full gallop, electrifying the crowd. His competitors scramble to copy him with improvised bars—a windmill handle and a broomstick—and even a stolen trick rope, resulting in falls, a broken broomstick, and one rider injured during another stunt. After the uproar, the judges rule the Bar Act non-cowboy and exclude it, awarding first to a rival whose conventional riding held up, while Carter, having gambled on his invention and eased off elsewhere, loses out.

The bar act, by Bud La Mar. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #78116.