supposed, were very glad to see him. And that
they envied Joe's position goes without saying.

"Well, well! You certainly put one over on us!" exclaimed Charlie Ford
admiringly. "How did you do it, Joe?"

"Oh, it just happened, I guess. More luck than anything else."

"When you got Professor Rosello out of the fire you did a good thing,"
commented Tom Simpson.

"Yes, I guess I did--in more ways than one," admitted Joe.

"And are you really doing trapeze acts?" inquired Henry Blake.

"Come and watch me," was Joe's invitation. "Here is a reserved seat
ticket for each of you."

"Whew!" whistled Harry Martin. "Talk about the return of the prodigal!
You'll make the folks here open their eyes, Joe. It isn't everybody
who runs away from home who comes back as you do."

Joe told his chums some of his experiences, and they went with him out
to the circus grounds, where he took them about, as only a privileged
character can, showing them how the show was "put together."

"It sure is _great_!" exclaimed Charlie, ruffling up his red hair.

Joe fairly outdid himself in the performances that day. He went
through his best feats, alone and with the Lascalla Brothers, with a
snap and a swing that made the veteran performers look well to their
own laurels. Joe did some wonderful leaping and turning of somersaults
in the air, one difficult backward triple turn evoking a thundering
round of applause.

And none applauded any more fervently than little Willie Norman.

"I know him!" the little lad confided to a group about him. "That's
Joe Strong. He gave me a ticket to the show for nothing, mind you! I
know him all right!"

"Oh, you do not!" chaffed another boy.

"I do so, and I'm going to speak to him after the show!"

This Willie proudly did, thereby refuting the skepticism of his
neighbor. For the word soon passed among the town-folk that Joe
Strong, who used to live with Deacon Blackford, was with the circus,
and after the show he held an informal little reception in the dressing
tent which a number of men and boys, and not a few women, attended.

All were curious to see behind the scenes, and Joe showed them some
interesting sights. He invited his four chums to have supper with him,
and the delight of Harry, Charlie, Henry and Tom may be imagined as
they sat in the tent with the other circus folk, listening to the
strange jargon of talk, and seeing just how the performers behaved in
private.

Altogeth