ast from running into
danger.

Thus Joe's act was added to. But he was not done yet--not satisfied. He
wanted something different.

For a week the show traveled on. Joe and Helen wrote to Benny, and in
reply received a short letter from him. He said they were getting ready
to operate on him, though they would have to wait for a favorable
opportunity.

"It is the only chance, they say," wrote Benny, "of preventing me from
becoming deaf and dumb. But oh, how I dread it! And my mother!--I don't
know how to tell her."

"Poor boy!" murmured Helen. "He certainly is in trouble. I wish we
could be with him--but we can't."

For the show must go on, and Joe and Helen had to go with it.

Joe's act in the tank made a favorable impression all along the route.
He was gaining a reputation, and Jim Tracy ordered some new show bills
featuring him. Joe also bought a new suit, red and in some other
respects different from Benny's old one.

"Oh, what a pretty color!" Helen exclaimed when she saw Joe's new
under-water suit. "It just matches the goldfish."

"So it does," Joe agreed. "I never thought of that when I sent for it."

It did make an effective picture in the tank, and at first glance Joe
appeared to be a big goldfish himself, so perfect was the coloring of
his rubber garment.

One day, following the afternoon performance, Joe, having finished his
act, was watching the antics of some performing dogs that had lately
been added to the circus. One dog made a jump from a high pole into a
blanket held by four men.

"Another idea!" Joe exclaimed as he watched. "I'll have a new stunt if
they'll only let me do it. I wonder if it would work. I'm going to try.
It will be even better than the goldfish act!"

CHAPTER X

IN TERROR

When the afternoon performance was over, Joe found a chance to speak to
Mr. Fleet, the man who owned the performing dogs.

"Pretty good act you have there," said the boy fish. He sat down and
began petting one of the dogs.

"Glad you think so," was the answer. "You have some little act
yourself. Strong, I believe your name is?"

"Yes," Joe nodded in friendly fashion. "I guess my act does go pretty
well, but it's more because of the novelty of it than from anything I
do. It's different from trapeze work."

"It certainly is. I don't see how you hold your breath so long."

"Practice," said Joe. "But if I just stayed under water I wouldn't be
able to hold the attention of the crowd long.