as you have just witnessed, will take place at
each and every performance," he declared. "Come and bring your friends!
Nothing like it ever seen before on any stage or in any circus in the
world!

"Remember, you will see the same and identical act at each and every
performance and all for the price of one admission. Professor Strong and
his gifted salamander associates will eat fire as they did just now, at
each and every show in the big tent. I thank you!"

"Well, Joe, it went all right!" said Jim Tracy when the performers had
left the stage and the young fire-eater was alone on the platform. "It
went like a house afire!"

"Yes," said Joe, "it seemed to. I guess it went better than if we had
made a lot of preliminary notices. The suddenness of it took them by
surprise."

"But we can advertise it big now," said the ringmaster. "We don't need
to specify exactly what it is. Of course those who have seen it will
tell their friends who are coming and who haven't seen it. But the big
majority of the audiences will be as much surprised as this one was. It
went big."

"Yes," agreed Joe, "it did. And I'm glad of it. This is the sensation I
was planning, but I didn't want to go into details until I was sure it
would work. I had to engage my helpers in the dark, so to speak, and I
didn't even tell you what I was planning until the last minute."

"No, you didn't," said Jim.

Helen Morton came slowly across the arena. Her act was over, and she had
seen the blazing banquet and Joe's part in it.

Her cheeks were unusually red as she approached holding out her hand,
and there was a rather misty look about her eyes as she said:

"Will you forgive me, Joe?"

"For what?" he asked tantalizingly.

"Oh, you know perfectly well!" she exclaimed. "It was very silly of me,
but--"

"I know, Helen. I did tease you a bit," he said. "I suppose I might have
told you that the pretty girls were those I had engaged to help in the
banquet scene, together with the young fellows. We had only a few
rehearsals in my tent, and I didn't want to spread the news too
generally, even among the circus crowd, for fear of a leak. But I
suppose I might have told you."

"It would have saved me from acting so silly, if you had," she murmured.

"Then it is I who should ask forgiveness," said Joe. "But it's all right
now. And may I come to lunch with you, or would you rather that I should
go with--one of the pretty girls?"

"If you do I'll never forg