ng
the ten thousand dollar offer.

As Joe hurried across the arena one of the tent men thrust into his hand
a scrap of paper.

"What is it?" asked Joe.

"I don't know," was the reply. "A boy just brought it and told me to
give it to you."

Joe had a half minute to wait while the ringmaster was talking. Quickly
he read the note--it was really a scrawl. But it said:

"Please forgive me and still believe in me. I am suffering! I can't come
to you in the condition I'm in now. But I have something to tell you if
you could come to me. The boy will bring you."

The note was signed "Hamilton Logan."

"Whew!" whistled Joe. "Worse and more of it!"

CHAPTER XXIV

THE TRAP IS SET

Pausing only long enough to tell the man who had given him the note to
be sure and detain the boy who had brought it, Joe Strong hurried over
to the stage to begin his box trick. That was to be followed by the
"disappearing lady" act.

And here again Joe had to use all his reserve nerve to enable him to go
on with the performance as smoothly as he usually did. He had to dismiss
from his mind, for the time being, all thoughts of Ham Logan, and he
steeled himself not to think of what the strange summons might mean.

"If Ham is in trouble I'm going to help him--that's all!" declared Joe.

Following the usual announcement by Jim Tracy, Joe got into the box. It
was locked and roped and then Helen took her place, as did the fireman
with his gleaming ax.

Joe worked unusually quickly that night in getting out of the box. He
knew this haste would not spoil the illusion of the trick. In fact it
really heightened it. For he was out of the heavy box in much shorter
time than it had taken the volunteer committee to lock him in.

And Joe was glad no one came forward at this performance to claim the
ten thousand dollars. That would have taken up time, and time, just
then, was what Joe wanted most.

"Evidently none of you know how the trick is done," commented the
ringmaster, when his offer of ten thousand dollars was not taken
advantage of. "We will now proceed to the next illusion, that of causing
a beautiful lady to disappear and vanish into thin air before your very
eyes. There is no reward offered for the solution of this mystery."

Helen then took her place on the trick chair over the trap in the stage.
The silk shawl was placed over her, and, in due time, the chair was
shown empty.

The usual applause followed and Joe was glad his