The bar act — Themes and Context

A Rodeo Story That Talks Back to Its Genre

The catalog subjects—'Western stories,' 'Cowboys — Fiction,' 'Texas — Fiction,' 'Rodeos — Fiction'—suggest a straightforward genre piece. But the excerpt's narrator undercuts every convention. The opening paragraph muses on 'novelty' as a force that 'will crop up in the most unexpected places,' then compares a successful go-getter to a man sleeping 'with one eye open and a cocked six-shooter under his pillow.' The humor is self-deprecating and meta: the narrator tells a fable about a jack rabbit and a mud turtle, then says 'which brings us back to Leonard Carter.' This is not a solemn Western; it is a comic tall tale that winks at its own form.

The Bar Act: A Stunt Born from Auto Parts

The title stunt involves Carter attaching an automobile axle to his saddle and spinning on it while his horse runs. The excerpt describes him 'leaning out, grasping the extreme end of the axle' and 'whirling around like a whirligig.' The audience gasps. But the story's real interest is in the chaotic competition that follows. Rivals Slim and Buck improvise with a windmill handle and a broomstick, lashing them to saddles. Buck 'landed on his ear in the dust' and 'limped off the track cursing his luck.' The narrator treats these failures as comedy, not drama. The stunt is a gimmick, and the story knows it.

A Rope Worth More Than an Eye

One of the excerpt's most vivid details is the trick roper's 'double ocean wave rope,' a Manila rope 'balanced so exquisitely at the hondo with fine copper wire' that its owner 'would sooner lose an eye than his beloved trick rope.' When Slim grabs it for his own stunt, the roper chases him 'screaming to high heavens.' Buck then cuts the rope in half with a knife, and the roper 'paled, and fainted dead away.' The scene is played for laughs, but the specificity of the rope's construction—'sixteen-dollar Manila,' 'steel awl could not be driven between them'—shows La Mar's attention to rodeo material culture. The catalog's 'Rodeos — Fiction' subject fits, but the tone is far from earnest.

The Bar Act is a short, fast read—about 8,000 words—that rewards attention to its narrator's voice. The catalog subjects may lead you to expect a straight Western, but the story's humor and self-awareness make it closer to a comic tall tale. Pay attention to the asides: they are the real show.

Odd how a rodeo story can linger past its final page. That comic, self-aware voice in The Bar Act reminded me of another quiet companion, one where animals and logic playfully tangle. Flipping through Bearly Reasonable — Reading Companion felt like finding the same gentle, unexpected wit waiting in the margins. Some books simply share a warmth, a knowing wink, that stays with you long after the tent folds.