He made some inquiries, but no one had noticed Sim Dobley hanging about the lots as he had done shortly after his discharge. Nor had there been, as Joe had a faint suspicion there might be, any connection between the train wreck and the discharged employee.
"I don't believe Sim would be so desperate as to wreck a train just to get even with me," decided Joe. "I guess it was just a coincidence. He only wrote that threatening letter as a bluff."
Helen Morton did not allow her distress over the prospective loss of her money to interfere with her circus act. She put Rosebud through his paces in the ring, and received her share of applause at the antics of the clever horse. Helen did a new little trick—the one she had told Joe about.
She tossed flags of different nations to different parts of the ring, and then told Rosebud to fetch them to her, one after the other, calling for them by name.
The intelligent horse made no mistakes, bringing the right flag each time.
"And now," said Helen at the conclusion of her act, "show me what all good little children do when they go to bed at night."
Rosebud bent his forelegs and bowed his head between them as if he were saying his prayers.
"That's a good horse!" ejaculated Helen. "Now come and get your sugar and give me a kiss," and the animal daintily picked up a lump of the sweet stuff from Helen's hand, and then lightly touched her cheek with his velvety muzzle.
Then with a leap the pretty young rider vaulted into the saddle and rode out of the ring amid applause.
"You're doing beautifully, Helen!" was Joe's compliment, as Helen rode out.