Endangered Species

Abstract

Clyde Kastenbader pulls his brim forward, eclipsing an albino chipmunk face God never intended for the desert, hikes up his silver-studded belt, and, with the longest strides his stumpy limbs can manage, makes his habitual way across the town green to el Rincon. Even with high-heeled boots and an eagle-feathered, tall crown Texas Stetson, Clyde still falls well short of average height. But his every gesture is meant to insist that if smaller than most, he is larger than life: a view shared by the coterie of local idlers gathered around the bar like gnats on a cow pad, waiting to enjoy his largesse.