sed to help her mend a skirt," said Helen quickly, as she turned to
greet the veteran clown's wife. "See you later, Joe!" she called to him
over her shoulder as she started away.

The young magician moved away toward his own private quarters.

"I wonder what's the matter with Helen," he said. "She doesn't act
naturally. If that Bill Carfax has been around again, annoying her, I'll
put him out of business for all time. But if he had been around I'd have
heard of it. I don't believe it can be that."

Nor was it. Helen's anxiety had to do with something other than Bill
Carfax, the unprincipled circus man who had so annoyed her before Joe
discharged him. And, as Joe had said, the man had not been seen publicly
since the fiasco of his attempt to expose Joe's mystery box trick.

"Well, I suppose she won't tell me what it is until she gets good and
ready," mused Joe. "Now I'll go in and have a little practice at the big
swing before the parade."

Joe did not take part in the street pageant, though Helen did, riding
her beautiful horse to the admiration, not only of the small boys and
their sisters, but the grown-up throng in the highways as well. Helen
made a striking picture on her spirited, but gentle, steed.

It was not that Joe Strong felt above appearing in the parade. That was
not his reason for not taking part. He had done so on more than one
occasion, and with his Wings of Steel had created more than one
sensation.

But now that he did a trapeze act, as well as working the
sleight-of-hand mysteries, his time was pretty well occupied. He had
not, as yet, done the big swing in public since that act was abandoned
on the death of the man who had been injured while doing it. But Joe had
been perfecting himself in it. He had had a new set of trapezes made,
and had ornamented them and the two platforms in a very striking manner.
In other words, the trick had a new "dress," and Joe, as one of the
circus proprietors, hoped it would go well and attract attention.

This was from a business standpoint, and not only because Joe was
himself the performer. Of course it was natural that he should like
applause--all do, more or less. But Joe was one of the owners of the
circus--the chief owner, in fact--and he wanted to make a financial
success of it. Nor was this a purely selfish reason. Many persons owned
stock in the enterprise, and Joe felt it was only fair to them to see
that they received a good return for their investmen