till kept himself in the van of the profession and did as many
hair-raising feats as before. He performed on the trapeze alone now,
having dropped his act with the Lascalla Brothers because he could not
fit it in with the water work. With this Joe was well pleased; for
while the Spaniards worked well with him, Joe could not help feeling
that they did not like him for having taken the place of Sim Dobley,
who had been discharged.

"Well, Joe, I hear you're pulling down a pretty good salary now,"
remarked Tonzo Lascalla to our hero one day.

"Who told you?" asked Joe, for he had not mentioned the increase to any
one but Helen, and she had said she would not tell.

"Oh, those things are soon known in the circus," explained the
Spaniard. "We're glad to hear about your good luck though. What do you
say to a little celebration in town? We're going to lay over here
Sunday."

"What do you mean?" asked Joe.

"I mean why don't you 'blow yourself,' as the boys say over here. Give
a sort of supper to the crowd."

"I'm afraid I can't afford it," replied Joe, with a shake of his head.
"I'd like to, but it would take a good deal more salary than I'm
getting to entertain the circus."

"Oh, I didn't mean the whole outfit," said Tonzo. "I mean just thirty
or forty of those you know best."

Joe shook his head.

"I can't afford it," he replied.

"What! With the money you're getting? Why, I hear you've had your
salary nearly doubled!"

"Well, I'm doing double work, am I not?" asked Joe.

"Of course you are, but----"

Tonzo shook his head, and there was an unpleasant sneer on his face as
he turned away from Joe.

A little later Joe saw Tonzo and Sid talking together. He could not
help hearing what they said, as they were in their dressing room, while
he was in his, putting on the red, scaly suit which he wore in the
tank.

"Will he do it?" asked Sid of Tonzo.

"No. He claims he can't afford it."

"And getting nearly twice as much as we do! Say, he must be a regular
tight-wad!"

"That's what he is," said Tonzo bitterly. "Afraid to spend his money!"

The words stung Joe. He paused in his dressing.

"Tight-wad?" he mused. "So that's what they call me. Well, it isn't a
very nice name, but if they think I'm going to spend my money on
blow-outs for the crowd they're mistaken. I'm not going to be so
foolish."

Joe knew that Tonzo had not proposed dissipation, for circus
performers, particularly those who take their liv