ry to
stay under water any longer at the evening performance than he had done
in the afternoon.

"Time enough to work up that end of it if I have to keep on with the
act," he thought.

When he saw Benny at the hospital the next day, it was made certain
that Joe would have to keep on with the act, at least for the present,
if it was to be billed with the circus.

Poor Benny was worse, instead of better. He could hardly hear and he
was too weak to write much. But he did manage to scribble a note:

"Dear Joe," he wrote. "I don't know what to do. I haven't been able to
save any money, and my mother is an invalid, needing much care. I must
try to get back to the tank as soon as possible."

"You'll do nothing of the sort," wrote Joe in reply, for he did not
wish to shout for fear of annoying the patients in the rooms near by.
"Now don't worry, Ben. It will be all right."

Then Joe wrote out a promise, the keeping of which made quite a change
in his prospects, and, for a time, caused him to be misjudged by his
friends.

But Benny had a happier look on his face when Joe went out, and the
suffering boy put under his pillow a precious piece of paper.

CHAPTER VI

THE SHOW MOVES ON

"What's the news?" asked Jim Tracy, as Joe came back from the hospital.

"Not very good," was the reply. "Benny's worse."

"Then he won't be with us to-day?"

"No, and not for some days to come, I fancy."

"Will you do the act this afternoon and to-night then, Joe? You see
we've billed it big here, and it's too late to make a change in this
town. When we move on we can drop out that act without its being so
noticeable. If necessary I can have that part of our bill poster
advertising covered up with blank sheets, though I hate to. But that's
all there is to be done if Benny can't act."

"No, he can't act," Joe said. "I'll go on to-day, of course. The
Lascalla Brothers won't kick, will they?"

"I don't care if they do. You can do your principal stunts with them,
and we'll shove the tank act back on the programme so as to give you a
chance to make the change. I suppose, though, if you keep too much out
of the Lascalla act they will be kicking."

"They may want another partner," suggested Joe.

"That's right," agreed the ring-master. "But there's one thing, though.
If they ask to have Sim Dobley back again I'll tell 'em it can't be
done. I won't have that fellow around. That's flat, let me tell you."

Sim Dobley at one time