Joe Strong the Boy Fire-Eater / Or, The Most Dangerous Performance on Record

of big wooden sledge hammers driving in the tent stakes. The rumble of heavy wagons

of smoke from the fires in the stove wagons, a

s in their hands. Clowns, partly made up, looked from their dressing te

others' Circus in preparati

no circus man or woman starts the day, strolled over to

l right?" h

retty well,"

ted an under note of anxiety in the girl's voice. "

elp her mend a skirt," said Helen quickly, as she turned to greet the veteran clown'

oved away toward his

Bill Carfax has been around again, annoying her, I'll put him out of business for all

d circus man who had so annoyed her before Joe discharged him. And, as Joe had said, the man

gets good and ready," mused Joe. "Now I'll go in and hav

to the admiration, not only of the small boys and their sisters, but the grown-up throng

not his reason for not taking part. He had done so on more than one oc

t was abandoned on the death of the man who had been injured while doing it. But Joe had been perfecting himself in it. He had had a new set of trapezes made, and had ornamented them

one of the owners of the circus-the chief owner, in fact-and he wanted to make a financial success of it. Nor was this a purely selfish reason. Many persons owned stock in the

tforms and trapeze put in place. In this he was always very careful, as is every aerial performer. The least slip of a rope may cause

of the riggers who had charge of putt

don't make no mistakes when I'm putting up trapezes. You'll find every

whole, rather close-mouthed. As the man passed Joe, after giving a pull on the last rope, the yo

ially when he has to rig up high flying apparatus for others. It was drink that put Bill Carfax out of business. I didn't know Harry was th

act that he had had to discharge the man because, while under the influence

limbing up a rope ladder that led to one of the high platforms. And as Harry had

n the middle of the circus season," mu

affected him this way. He liked, more than anything else, to soar aloft on his Wings of Steel. And he liked the sensation when he leaped from one platform

r but to the audience as well-and Joe could hear the gasps th

and its fastenings. The platforms were not very likely to slip, being

ht, but an added pressure, caused by the momentum of his jump. And not only must the cables be strong, but there must

remarked Joe, as he looked it over.

for several hours yet, and the tent was filled with men putting in place the stage for Joe's magic

ms were concerned. They were firmly fastened. The one to which Joe leaped after h

of the tent, and there to examine the fastenings of the trapeze ropes. He s

other night. But still he ought to be careful. He was a little too talkative for a man to give his whole attention to fastening a trapeze. But this seems to

ent where his magical appliances were kept. Many stage tricks depend for th

s this was a very special piece of apparatus, he was very careful about it. His ability to get out of it, once

he hour for the parade to come back and the preliminaries to begin, Joe went

t, the first horses of the returning parade came back on the circus g

said Joe to himself. "And it's a fine

e first of the afternoon audience began to arriv

he would perform before his mystery tricks, when Mr. Moyne, the circus treasurer, ent

"Doesn't this weather suit you,

here's too big a crowd. We have too many people at t

prise at the treasurer.