The advertisement which had given Joe his inspiration was one offering for sale a trained seal, guaranteed to be kind and gentle, and able to do a number of tricks.
"If I can only work it!" Joe murmured.
CHAPTER XVI
THE TRAINED SEAL
The first opportunity he had Joe wrote to the man who had advertised in the theatrical paper. The boy fish asked for all particulars regarding the seal, inquiring especially if a stranger could put it through the usual tricks, and if it would readily learn a few new ones.
Then Joe so anxiously watched the incoming mails that it got to be quite a joke with some of the performers as they crowded around when the epistles were distributed.
"What! hasn't she written yet, Joe?" asked Tom Jefferson, the strong man. "Something must be wrong."
"There isn't any she about it," Joe would retort, but he could not help getting red in the face.
"You ought to send her a self-addressed envelope," added one of the clowns. "Maybe she can't write, Joe."
"It's awful hard to get your mail when you're with a circus," sighed the snake charmer. "I know I've lost dozens of perfectly good letters. But don't worry, Joe. It may come yet."