The bar act

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. “You win,” said the jack rabbit to the mud turtle. “But wasn’t the scenery wonderful!” “What scenery?” said the turtle, which brings us back to Leonard Carter, the fancy trick rider, and his famous and much discussed Bar Act. In the days during which the following surprising incidents took place, the Bar Act was an unknown element among rodeo performers; unknown as a sirloin steak to a seagoing Eskimo. It was to become famous overnight in a very spectacular fashion. As the hound dog said when the bear took after him: “And how!” Leonard always led the field when it came to inventing fancy and impossible-looking trick riding stunts. Once, an imaginative cowboy, after practicing the thing a whole winter, astonished rodeo-going audiences by standing on his head on the back of a running horse. The next day, Carter came out riding on his left eyebrow, spinning a rope in each hand and waving a flag between his feet. Or some other fool stunt. Whatever it was that he did seemed about as simple and devoid of interest to the spectators as a wind-broke horse playing the bagpipes. The judges rated Carter’s stunt as a full house against the busted flush of the fellow who stood on his head. Which is a heap of difference considering the high cost of living. The first rodeo of any importance to be held each year is presented in Cowtown, Texas. Following a long cold winter, it is the contestant’s first chance to bulldog the elusive iron men. The punchers swoop down upon the town from…