t you eat and be happy?"

"I--I'm thinking," Joe remarked.

"This isn't the time to think!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so glad I have
a little money. I won't have to worry now if I shouldn't be able to go
on with my circus act. I could take a vacation if I wanted to,
couldn't I?"

"Are you going to?" asked Joe. Somehow he felt a sudden sinking
sensation in the region of his heart. At least he judged it was his
heart that was affected.

"No, not right away," Helen answered. "I'm going to stay with the show
until it goes into winter quarters, anyhow."

"And after that?"

"Oh, I don't know."

The little celebration went merrily on. Helen's health was proposed
many times, being pledged in lemonade, grape juice and ginger ale. She
blushed with pleasure as she sat between Joe and the veteran clown, for
many nice things were said about her, as one after another of her
guests congratulated her on her good fortune.

"Speech! Speech!" some one called out.

"What do they mean?" asked Helen of Bill Watson.

"They want you to say something," the clown said.

"Oh, I never could--never in the world!" and Helen blushed more vividly
than before.

"Try it," urged Joe. "Just thank them. You can do that."

Much confused, Helen arose at her place.

"I'd rather ride in a circus ring ten times over than make a speech,"
she confessed in an aside to Joe.

"Go on," he urged.

"My dear friends," she began tremblingly, "I want to thank you for all
the nice things you have said about me, and I want to say that I'm
glad--glad----" She paused and blushed again.

"Glad to be here," prompted Joe.

"Yes, that's it--glad to be here, and I--er--I---- Oh, you finish for
me, Joe!" she begged, as she sat down amid laughter.

Then the supper went on, more merrily than before. But it had to come
to an end at last, for the show people needed their rest if they were
to perform well the next day. And most of them, especially those like
Joe and the acrobats, who depended on their nerve as well as their
strength, needed unbroken slumber.

As Joe walked back to the railroad, where their sleeping cars were
standing on a siding, the young trapeze performer asked Helen about her
business transaction with the law clerk. He had not had a chance to do
this at the supper.

"Well," began the girl, "as you know, he brought me the cash, Joe. Oh,
how nice those new bills did look. He had it all in new bills for me.
Mr. Pike told him