Joe Strong on the Trapeze Part 18

"And I'll help," said Benny Turton, who had finished his tank act.

"Come on!" cried Joe, as he led the way.

Meanwhile Jim Tracy had requested the audience to file out as quickly and in as orderly a manner as possible. The crowd was not large, as the weather had been threatening in the morning and many had stayed at home. But it was no easy matter to dismiss even a small throng in such a storm.

However, it was accomplished, the band meanwhile playing its best, and under hard conditions, as part of the tent over them split and let the rain in on them.

But the music served a good turn, and while the people were hurrying out the canvasmen, aided by the performers, Joe among them, drove in extra pegs, tightening those that had become loose, put on additional ropes, so that, by hard work, the big tent was prevented from blowing down.

Once outside, the audience, though most of them were soon drenched, took it good-naturedly. They were given emergency tickets as they pa.s.sed out, good for another admission.

And then the storm, which seemed to have reached its height, settled down into a heavy rain. The wind died out somewhat, and there was no danger from the collapse of the tent.

"Good work, boys!" said the ring-master, as the performers, all of them wet through, and in their performing suits too, came in. "Good work!

If it hadn't been for you I don't know what we would have done. I'll not forget it."

There had been some trouble in the animal tent during the storm; the beasts, especially the elephants, evincing a desire to break loose.

But their trainers quieted them, and soon the circus was almost normal again.

Of course the afternoon had been lost, but there was hope of a good attendance at night if the storm were not too bad. And by remaining over another afternoon the deficiency could be made up. Word was telegraphed ahead to the next town announcing a postponement in the date. The broken pole was replaced with another, and then the performers enjoyed an unexpected vacation.

"I want to thank you, Joe, for what you did," said Helen, coming up to him in the dining tent, where an early supper was served. "I saw what you did--stopping that runaway horse."

"Oh, it wasn't anything," Joe said, modestly enough.

"Wasn't it?" asked Helen, with a smile. "Well, I consider myself and Rosebud something worth saving."

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way," Joe said quickly. "But the runaway might not have gone near you."

"Yes, I'm afraid he would. But you saved me."

"Well, if you feel that way about it," laughed Joe, for he did not want Helen to take the matter too seriously, "why then we're even. You saved me from a bad fall on the trapeze."

The storm subsided somewhat by night, and there was a good attendance.

And the receipts the next day were very large in the afternoon, for the story of what the circus men had done was widely spread, and served as a good advertis.e.m.e.nt. Joe was applauded louder than ever when he did his acts.

The two wily Lascalla Brothers never referred to the incident of the rotted trapeze rope, and Joe did not know whether to believe them guilty or not. At most, he thought, they only wanted to give him a tumble that might make him look ridiculous, and so discourage him from continuing the work. In that case their deposed partner might get a chance. But Joe did not give up, and he kept a sharp lookout. He redoubled his vigilance regarding his ropes, bars and rings, inspecting all of them just before each performance.

On arriving at the next town Helen received a note in her mail asking her to call at the princ.i.p.al hotel in the place. It was signed by one of the members of the law firm.

"You come with me, Joe," she begged. "I don't want to go alone."

"All right," agreed the young performer. "We'll go and get your inheritance."

"If there's any to get," laughed Helen. "Oh, Joe, I'm so nervous!"

"Nervous!" he answered. "I wish I could be afflicted with nervousness like that--money-nervousness, I'd call it!"

They found Mr. Pike, the lawyer, to be an agreeable gentleman. He had requested Helen to bring with her the proofs of her ident.i.ty, the old Bible and other books, which she did. These the lawyer examined carefully, and asked the girl many questions, comparing her answers with some information in his notebook. Finally he said:

"Well, there is no doubt but you are the Miss Helen Morton we have been looking for so long, and I am happy to inform you that you are ent.i.tled to an inheritance from your grandfather's estate."

"Really?" cried Helen, eagerly.

"Really," answered the lawyer, with a smile. "It isn't a very large fortune, but it will yield you a neat little income every year. In fact there is quite an acc.u.mulation due you, and I shall be happy to send it on as soon as I get back to New York. I congratulate you!"

CHAPTER XV

A WARNING

Helen could hardly believe the good news. Though she had hoped, since hearing from the law firm, that she might be ent.i.tled to some money, Helen had always been careful not to hope too much.

"For I don't want to be badly disappointed," she told Joe.

"Well," he remarked, "I wish my chances were as good as yours."

For the answers he received from the letters he wrote concerning his mother's relatives in England were disappointing. As far as these letters went there was no estate in which Joe might share, though Bill Watson insisted that the late Mrs. Strong came of a wealthy family.

"Anyhow, you've got yours, Helen," said Joe.

"Well, I haven't exactly got it yet," and she looked at Mr. Pike.

"Oh, the money is perfectly safe," the lawyer a.s.sured Helen. "I have part of it on deposit in my bank, and the rest is safe in California."

"Just how did it happen to come to me?" Helen inquired.

"Well," answered the lawyer slowly, "it's a long and complicated story.

Your grandfather on your father's side was quite a landholder in San Francisco. Some of his property was not worth a great deal, and other plots were very valuable. In time he sold off most of it, but one large tract was considered so worthless that he could not find a buyer for it. When he died he still owned it, and it descended to your father.

"He thought so little of it that he never tried to put it on the market. But during the last few years the city has grown out in the direction of this land, and recently the property was sold.

"An effort was made to find the owner, your father, but as he was dead, and no one knew what had become of his heirs, the land was sold, and the money deposited with the state, to be turned over to the right owner when found. We have a branch office in San Francisco, and we were engaged to try to find any Morton heirs. Finally we found you, and now I am glad to say that my work in this connection is so happily ended.

"As I told you, I have some cash ready for you. The rest of your inheritance is in the form of bonds and mortgages, which will bring you in an income of approximately sixty dollars a month."

"That's fifteen a week!" exclaimed Helen, who was used to calculating that way, as are most circus and theatrical persons.

"Of course you could sell these bonds and mortgages, and get the cash for them," said the lawyer, "but I would not advise you to. You will have about three thousand dollars in cash, as it is, and this ought to be enough for your immediate needs, especially as I understand you have a good position."

"Yes, I am earning a good salary," Helen admitted, "but I have not been able to save much. I am very glad of my little fortune."

"And I am glad for you, my dear young lady. Now, as I said, as soon as I get back to New York I will send one of my clerks on to you with the cash. I may be old fashioned, but I don't like to trust too much to the mails. Besides, I want to get your signature to certain doc.u.ments, and you will have to make certain affidavits to my clerk. So I will send him on. Let me have a note of where you will be during the next week."

Helen gave the dates when the circus would play certain towns, and Mr.

Pike left.