ender
strip, and could not be seen by the audience.

When he cupped his hands around the remaining lighted candle Joe
ignited this waxed strip, taking care to work it away from his palms and
fingers. It burned with a tiny flame and with scarcely any heat in the
middle of the hollow cup formed by his hands.

As soon as he had ignited the paper Joe, by pressing the lower edges of
his palms against the blazing wick of the candle, extinguished it. This
had the same effect as though he had "pinched" out the flame with finger
and thumb, as many country persons put out, or "snuff," candles
to-day--for candles are still much used in some places.

Now we have Joe with a little blazing taper concealed in his cupped
hands, advancing to the candle he first blew out. He placed his hands
around this, lighted the wick from the taper, which he at once crushed
between his fingers, and the trick was done.

The candle was lighted, the remains of the little taper were concealed
between Joe's fingers, and it looked as though he had really carried
fire in his hands. The quickness with which he pinched out the candle
flame, and also smothered the taper after he had used it, prevented him
from being burned in the slightest. But it is best for a boy unpracticed
and without the dexterity of a professional prestidigitator not to
undertake to play with fire.

Joe Strong believed in doing his tricks and acts artistically and
elaborately. He had watched other performers "dress their act," and he
had often improved on what even stage veterans had done. His
apprenticeship had been a stern but good one.

And now he was going to introduce something novel in his fire-eating
tricks, but he was also going to add to that. He had read considerable
of late about the fire-eating tricks of the old "magicians" and had
delved into many curious old books. Now he was going to give his
audience some of this information.

"There is a trick in everything," said Joe, as he faced his audience in
readiness for the fire-eating act. "If I told you that I actually
swallowed blazing fire, any physician would know that I was not telling
the truth. I do not really eat the fire. I only seem to do so. But if in
doing so I can deceive you into thinking I do, and you are thrilled and
amused, you get your money's worth, I earn mine, and we are all
satisfied. So don't be alarmed by what you see.

"The resistance of the human body to heat is greater than many persons
suppos