"Well, I'll leave it to you," remarked Joe. "Whenever anything happens let me know and we'll take some action."
Joe Strong was now kept very busy in the circus. In fact he was what would be called a "star." He did his mystery box trick, and, with Helen, worked the "vanishing lady" trick so neatly that no one guessed how it was done. The ten thousand dollars was not claimed, successfully, though several tried it, with the result that several local Red Cross organizations were enriched by the hundred dollar forfeit.
In addition to these mystery acts, and some more ordinary sleight-of-hand tricks which he used to fill in with, Joe did his fire-eating trick, ending that act with the plunge into the tank. This never failed to create a sensation.
"But it isn't the big sensation I'm after!" said Joe, when his friends congratulated him. "Wait until you see that!"
Another feature of Joe's performance was his wire-walking. Since he had rescued the lady's cat he had added this to his share of the program, and it was a thriller enjoyed by many audiences.
"But it's a little tame," said Joe one day to Jim Tracy. "I want to put a little more pep into it."
"How are you going to do it?" asked the ringmaster.
"I think I know a way," was the answer.
And a few days later Joe gave a demonstration.
The wire on which he performed was a high one, stretched between two well-braced poles. On each pole was fastened a small platform, somewhat like those high up in the tent where the big swing was fastened.