The bar act
by Bud La Mar
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.
- Short stories
- Western stories
- Cowboys
- Texas
- Rodeos
Read the opening
The way Len Carter won rodeo prizes was getting to
be a bore—to the other contestants. But when he
began to mix auto parts with trick riding, something
unusual had to be done—and was.
Novelty is a thing that will crop up in the most unexpected places, making an appearance at no given time. Gifted with a good deal of perseverance, a strong microscope and the eye of an eagle, a persistent person would even discover faint signs of the element among Digger Indians.
The go-getter who can surprise the world with something new, anything from an automatic doughnut cutter to Pullman accommodation to the moon, is all set for a reserved seat on top of the scrap heap—assuming that he sleeps with one eye open and a cocked six-shooter under his pillow. Neglecting such vital precautions, he will find himself playing the part of the snipe hunter, holding an empty sack in a hopeful attitude, while some other fellow is smoking four-bit cigars and writing editorials on How To Be Successful.
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About this edition
This free edition of The bar act by Bud La Mar comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #78116, released 2026-03-04. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer.
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