He did not give up his mystery box trick, and he still presented the vanishing lady illusion, Helen assisting in both of these.  Joe also did the big swing, which always caused a thrill on account of the danger involved.  Careful watch was kept over the trapeze and other apparatus so that no more dangerous tampering could he attempted, and Joe always looked over everything with sharp eyes before trusting himself high in the air.

“Some one evidently has a grudge against me as well as against the circus in general,” he said to Jim Tracy.

“Maybe it’s the same person,” suggested the ringmaster.

“Perhaps.  Well, as soon as we get some word from the detectives we can start on the trail.”

The circus had arrived at a large city, where it was to show three days and nights, and preparations were made for big crowds, as the city was the center of a large number of industries, where many thousands of men were employed at good wages.

“We’ll play to ‘Straw Room Only’ at every performance,” said Mr. Moyne, rubbing his hands with glee as he thought of the dollars that would be taken in.  “And I’m glad we discovered the bogus tickets in time.  We’d be out a lot of money if the counterfeits were to be used here.”

“Yes,” agreed Joe.  “But we aren’t out of the woods yet.  The same man who imitated the light green tickets may have the bright blue ones which we now use for general admission duplicated and sell them.”

“We’ll have to take that chance,” said the treasurer.  “But I’ll instruct the ticket takers to be unusually careful.”

That was all that could be done.  The detective had reported that he was making an examination, starting at the paper mill, and was endeavoring to learn where the bogus tickets had been made.

The circus parade had been held and witnessed by enthusiastic crowds lining the streets.  Then was every prospect of big business, and it was borne out.

Joe wished he had prepared his fire act earlier but it could not be helped.

“I’ll have it ready for to-morrow, though,” he said to Jim Tracy, at the conclusion of the first afternoon in the big city where they were to stay three days.

“Then I’m going to have it advertised,” said the ringmaster, who also sometimes acted as assistant general manager.  “We’ll bill it big.  You’re sure of yourself, are you?”

“Oh, yes,” answered Joe with a laugh.  “I’ll give ’em their money’s worth all right, but it won’t be the big sensation I’m planning for later on.  That will take time.”

“Well, as long as it’s a fire act it will be new and novel, and it will draw,” declared Jim Tracy.

It was later in the afternoon, when the circus performance was over, that Joe and Helen strolled downtown, as was their custom.  Some convention was being held in the city, and across one of the principal streets was stretched a big banner of the kind used in political campaigns.