-his part in the show being over.

For a week the circus showed, moving from town to city. It was
approaching the end of the season. The show would soon go into winter
quarters, and the performers disperse until summer came again.

Helen had heard nothing favorable from the lawyer, and she and Joe had
about given up hope of getting back the money.

The circus had reached a good-sized city in the course of its travels,
and was to play there two days. On the afternoon of the first day,
just before the opening of the performance, Joe went to Helen's tent to
speak to her about something.

"She isn't here," Mrs. Talfo, the fat lady, told him. "She's gone."

"Gone!" echoed Joe. "Isn't she going to play this afternoon?"

"I believe not--no."

"But where did she go?"

"You'll have to ask Jim Tracy. I saw her talking to him. She seemed
quite excited about something."

"I wonder if anything could have happened," mused Joe. "They couldn't
have discharged her. That act's too good. But it looks funny. She
wouldn't have left of her own accord without saying good-bye. I wonder
what happened."

CHAPTER XXIV

JOE FOLLOWS

Some little time elapsed before Joe found a chance to speak to Jim
Tracy. There had been a slight accident to one of the circus wagons in
unloading from the train for that day's show, and the ring-master was
kept very busy. One of the elephants was slightly hurt also.

But finally the confusion was straightened out, and our hero had a
chance to ask the question that was troubling him.

"What had become of Helen?"

"Why, I don't know where she went," Jim Tracy said. "She came to me
almost as soon as we got in this morning, and wanted to know if she
could have the afternoon off."

"Cut out her act?" Joe asked.

"That's it. Of course I didn't want to lose her out of the show, but
as long as we're going to be here two days, and considering the fact
that she hadn't had a day off since the show started out this season, I
said she might go. And so she went--at least I suppose she did."

"Yes, she's gone," Joe replied. "But where?"

Jim Tracy did not know and said so. He was too busy to talk much more
about it.

"She'll be back in time for the evening performance--that's all I
know," he told Joe.

The young trapeze' performer sought out the old clown and told him what
had taken place.

"Helen gone!" exclaimed Bill. "That's queer!"

"I thought maybe you'd know about it, B