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

tively, "it's a curious state of affairs, and as you're so vitall

ct. I can't see anything wrong in that. It's just what we're always wanting-a big audience. Let 'em fill the tent, I say, and put out the 'Stra

about, perhaps, by his need of being exact in money matters, "a big crowd would b

ion on the part of the treasurer that something was wrong. "Is it a rough crowd?

is just this. There are a great many more people in the main top now than there ar

ked Joe. "Well, that always happens at a circus. Small

soon begin than we have admission prices for. In other words there are a thousand persons occupying fifty cent seats that haven't paid their half dollar. It isn't

as very much in earnest. "Have the ticket men and the e

nd that. But the men are perfectly willing to have their accou

t is it?"

le have come in without paying the circus anything. And they didn't sneak in, either.

themselves past

e had the pr

our tickets?" demanded the

-coupons taken in by the entrance attendants. It's a puzzle to me," confessed the treasurer. "There

persons are who have come in without payi

could be done, but not in the ordinary un-numbered fifty cent section. The

e to go on with the performance now; it's getting late. If we're swamped by people coming along who hold our regular tickets we'll have to sit 'em anywhere we can.

hing must be done about it. If this happens very often

e figures he had jotted dow

who tried to mulct the circus of money, and there were always small boys, and grown men, too, wh

htly spangled belt, "but I wouldn't want it to happen very often. Now I wonder what luck I'll ha

e had not yet come for him to go on. He saw Helen hastening past on her way to e

ed Joe, waving hi

rnestly, "won't you give up this big swing? Stick to your box trick, and let me act with

been bitten by the jinx bug!" laughed J

lish," she said.

ed and lo

y welfare," said Joe, with a smile. "And, believe me, I am. But, Helen, I c

, I won't set you to worrying by telling you," she said quickly, with a laugh, in which, however, there

er. I've done the stunt a score of times, and I can judg

about it! Good luck!" and she hurried on, for it was tim

look settled over his face. Like a flash there had come to him the memory

Joe. "I went over every inch of it. I guess He

n to ponder over the curious fact of there being

"It's likely to get serious. I wonder-" he went on, struck by a new thought

ly airs, on one platform some trained seals were juggling big balls of colored rubber, and on another a bear was going about on roller skates. In o

hed it and stood poised ready for his act, there came a shrill whistle from Jim Tracy, the ringmaster,

on of all might be centered on Joe. This is always done in a circus in t

ied his voice to the very ends of the big tent. "Calling your attention to

o Joe, who stood up strai

release the trapeze, which was caught up

wered the yo

art on its long swaying swing. The man pulled it by means of a long,

poised and tense on the gayly decorated platform, himself a fine picture o

and Jim Tracy, on the ground below, hearing it, held up

re drum throbbing out as he jumped. He was dimly conscious of thousands of eyes watching him-eye

was safe. The momentum of his jump carried him in a long swing, and he at once began to un

to do this, he looked up at t

se, as Joe's eyes must rest, most of all, on the second platf

, he saw, to his horror, a spot of rust on one. And at the spot of ru

eemed about