"So am I," Joe returned, wondering at the same time if he would ever
hear anything encouraging of his mother's relatives in England.

"The Circle City Oil Syndicate," Joe murmured as he entered his car.
"I must look them up. This fellow, Sanford, may be all right, but he
struck me as being a pretty slick individual, who would look out for
himself first, and the firm's clients afterward. He'll bear
investigating."

However, nothing could be done that night. The clerk had gone back
with the larger part of Helen's money, and Joe did not want to cause
her worry by speaking of his suspicions.

The circus did a good business the next day, drawing even larger
throngs than to the previous performances. The story of Helen's good
fortune was printed in the local paper, with an account of the
celebration supper she gave, and when she rode into the ring on Rosebud
the applause that greeted her was very pronounced.

Joe repeated his "drop back to instep hang" that afternoon. It was
rather a perilous feat and he was not so sure of it as he was of his
other exercises. But it was a "thriller" and that was what the public
seemed to want--something that made them gasp, sit up, and hold their
breath while they waited to see if "anything would happen" to the
reckless performer.

Joe climbed up to his small trapeze, swung on it and then fell backward
for his first instep hang. He accomplished this successfully, and then
came the thrilling slide down the longer ropes.

Down Joe shot, depending on stopping himself with his outstretched and
down-hanging hands when he reached the second bar.

But the inevitable "something" happened. Joe's hands slipped from the
bar, his head struck it a glancing blow, and the next instant he felt
himself falling head first down toward the life net.

CHAPTER XXI

JOE HEARS SOMETHING

Women and children screamed, and there were hoarse shouts from the men
who witnessed Joe's fall. At first some thought it was only part of
the acrobatic trick, but a single glance at the desperate struggles of
the young trapeze performer dispelled this idea.

For Joe was struggling desperately in the air to prevent himself from
falling head first into the life net.

It might be thought that one could fall into a loose, sagging net in
any position and not be hurt. But this is not so. A fall into a net
from a great height is often as dangerous as landing on the ground.
Circus folk must know how to f