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

for something is always happening, or on the verge of taking place. And when Joe looked up and s

n, I looked at the trapeze," he mused. "And i

houghts then. What was vital for him to know was whether or not the thin wire cable would remain unbroken long enough for him

es, and as many performers before him had done. But the danger was that in a sudden and un

would never have been so successful. And at

's going to break it will do so then. And I'll be ready for it. I'll then keep hold of the trapeze bar, which will be straight up and do

his weight, bringing it all on the frayed and strangely rusted cable. As

roke Joe held tightly to the wooden bar, which was now upright in his hands instead of being horizontal. And though it slip

it all a part of the trick-they thought that Joe had purpose

then, reaching the height of the long arc, he turned his body and

with a great effort, for he had been put out in his calculations of distance, and t

e of the drums as the band began to play. There is little time in a

ed platforms, and Joe descended by means of the rope ladde

Joe," she said. "But I didn't

remarked dryly. "I did it

! wasn't it

, a l

ade you

dn't he

s wrong, but walking around the circus arena, with performers coming a

have to get ready for the trick bo

n much danger?" she

k lightly. Yet he did not like to think of that o

in the previous volume, the explanation of how the vanishing lady trick was acco

eemingly" is used with a due sense of what it means. The newspaper was not a perfect one. On one of its sides which was not exhibited to the audience, there was cut an opening, or trap, that exactly corresponded

wspaper. But there is a square hole in i

n the stage floor. He then drew the page of the paper that he had held out to the audience toward himself, exposing

that Joe carefully placed the black veil, when he was pretending to mesmerize Helen. There was a cross rod, also concealed in the chair, and on either end of this, something

she had been covered with the veil, she rested her weight on her hands, which were placed on the extreme outer edges of this seat frame. She pulled a catch which caused the seat to

the stage. And while she was doing this it still looked as if she were in the chair, for the f

ted Helen's shoulders. They were thin and light-these pieces of trick apparatus-and no one suspected they were in the veil. The hinged seat of the chair snapped back in place by means of a spring, and when Joe stepped aside,

that the lad

rcus was over for the afternoon, and the box and vanishing tricks

into the metal, corroding it and separating a number of the

" cried Helen. "How

ere was a peculiar smell about the wire, and I know enough of chemistry to make a simple aci

d have pu

e got to

Harry

with drinking, and he could not deny that. But he said he met some old friends and they induced him to have a little co

's Bill Carfax, but he hasn't be

ould have been Bill. I'll

len. "Oh, I can't b

make light of it. "Let's go down to

up trying to find out who put

my hands now-that and trying to learn how too many persons came to t

xclaimed. "Some jinx

"Now we'll forget our troubles. They

was not going to let Helen know that. They went into

d prepare for the evening entertainment, when there was a sudden alarm down th

"Come on, Helen! It's

crowd rushing toward it. Thither, also, the fire apparatu

what sort of place is that?" and he pointed t

ew stunt and he set the place ablaze, so the boss yelled to me. Come now, youse all have to git b