ANOTHER OFFER
Professor Rosello sank into a chair when he reached his dressing room.
"Quick! Get a doctor!" called Joe to one of the two helpers who
traveled with them. "Bring him in through the stage door! Don't let
it be known out in front."
One of the stage hands gave the helper the address of the nearest
physician, and, fortunately, he was in his office. The doctor came at
once and put a soothing ointment on the burns of the professor's back,
where the electric sparks had penetrated his clothing.
"That's better," remarked the magician with a sigh of relief. "I guess
we'll have to ring down the curtain, Joe. I can't go on."
"I'll finish the show," declared the boy wizard.
"Can you do it?"
"Not as well as you, of course. But I think I can keep them
interested, so they will feel they have had their money's worth. I'll
carry on the show. I can vary my egg and watch tricks a bit, and I'll
do that wine and water one, bringing the live guinea pig out of the
bottle."
"All right, Joe, if you think you can. I'm not equal to any more. I
think I'd better go to the hotel."
"I think so too, Professor. Now don't worry. I'll carry on the show
as best I can."
"And I think you can do it well, Joe. I'm proud of you. If it hadn't
been for you stopping the electric current when you did I would be dead
now."
"Oh, I hardly think it was as bad as that."
"Yes it was. One of those wires broke. After this I'll examine every
connection a minute before I go into the cabinet. You saved my
life--this is the second time. Once at the fireworks factory, and
again to-night. I'll be so deeply in your debt, Joe, that I can never
pay you."
"Oh, don't worry about that," laughed the boy wizard, now much relieved
in mind. With the professor safe he could go out on the stage with a
light heart and an easy mind. He was used to facing the public, but
this meant that he would have to do more tricks than usual, and some
that were particularly the professor's own, though Joe knew how they
were worked.
When the physician had relieved the sufferer, Joe called a carriage and
sent the magician to the hotel where they were staying. Then the
pantomimist having finished, Joe prepared to go on with some illusions.
And right here, while Joe is making his preparations, a description of
the "fire trick" can be given.
The cabinet was, of course, a trick one. That is, it was provided with
hidden electric contrivances so that when the professor stepped into
it, by merely pressing a button he could have a shower of sparks shot
out all around him. As he was insulated, these sparks could not injure
him.
On the heavy silk robe he wore there had been painted the grinning
skeleton. It was painted with a secret chemical paint, and when
subjected to a flow of electricity the bones and skull showed outlined
in fire. The professor, keeping well back toward the rear of the
cabinet, was invisible.
Tying the ropes about him was not necessary as he did not leave the
cabinet anyhow, but it added to the effectiveness of the illusion. But
on this evening, after the electric wire broke causing a short circuit,
the tying of the ropes was well-nigh fatal, for the professor could not
move in order to escape, and had to stay while the current burned him.
Luckily, however, Joe acted in time.
As has been intimated, the two front legs of the cabinet were really
the positive and negative termini for the wires that were inside the
box. These legs stood in two sockets in the floor of the stage, and to
them ran the wires from the theatre's circuit. When the helpers lifted
the cabinet up, to show, ostensibly, that it had no connection with the
floor, they put the legs down in the hidden sockets. Thus the
connections were made. As can be seen, Joe had but to lift the cabinet
away to break the connection.
In spite of the accident, the trick had ended satisfactorily, thanks to
the quick work of Joe Strong. His strength, too, played not a little
part in this, for ordinarily the cabinet required two men to shift it.
But Joe had a knack of using his powerful muscles to the best
advantage, and it was this, with his most marvelous nerve, that enabled
him to do so many sensational things, about which this and future
volumes concerning our hero will tell.
The professor having been sent to his hotel to rest, and the
pantomimist having finished his act, Joe went out on the stage to
continue the performance. He made no reference to the non-appearance
of the chief performer, letting it be taken for granted that Professor
Rosello had finished his part in the entertainment.
"I would now like to borrow a gold gentleman's watch," began Joe; this
misplacement of words never failing to bring out a laugh. He then
proceeded to perform the trick of apparently smashing a borrowed watch,
firing the fragments from a pistol at a potted plant, and causing the
reunited watch to appear among the roots of the pulled-up flower.
As this trick has been described in detail in the first volume of this
series, exposing just how it is done, the description will not be
repeated here. In that book will also be found the details of how Joe
made an ordinary egg float or sink in a jar of water, at his pleasure.
(This is a trick one can easily do at home without apparatus.) Joe did
that trick now, and also the one of lighting a candle, causing it to go
out and relight itself again while he stood at one side of the stage,
merely pointing his wand at the flickering flame. (See the first
volume.)
Joe now essayed another trick. He brought out a bottle, apparently
empty, and said that it was a magical flask.
"From this I am able to pour three kinds of drinks," he stated. "Some
persons like water, others prefer milk, while nothing but grape juice
will satisfy some. Now will you kindly state which drink you like?"
and he pointed to a man in the front row.
"I'll have grape juice," was the answer.
"Very good," returned Joe. "Here you are!" He tilted the bottle, and
a stream of purple grape juice ran from the flask into a goblet. Joe
handed it to the man.
"It's perfectly good grape juice," Joe said, smilingly. "You need not
be afraid to sample it." The man did so, after a moment's hesitation.
"Is it all right?" Joe asked. "Just tell the audience."
"It's good," the man testified.
"Take it all. I have other drinks in the bottle," Joe said.
"Save me some!" cried a boy up in the gallery, as the man drained the
glass of grape juice.
"Now who'll have milk?" Joe asked.
"I will," called a boy in the second row. Without moving from where he
stood Joe picked up a glass, and, from the same bottle, poured out a
drink of milk which he passed to the boy, who took it wonderingly.
"Is it the real stuff?" asked Joe, smiling at the lad.
"That's what it is!" was the quick answer.
"Drink it then. And now for water. Here we are!" And from the same
bottle, out of which the audience had seen milk and grape juice come,
Joe poured sparkling water and passed it to a lady in the audience.
"Hello! What's this? There appears to be something else in the
bottle!" exclaimed Joe, apparently surprised, as he held the flask up
to his ear.
"Yes, I'll let you out--right away," he said aloud. "There must be
some mistake," he went on, "there is an animal in this bottle. I'll
have to break it open to get it out."
He went quickly back on the stage with the bottle, took up a hammer,
and holding the flask over a table gently cracked the glass. In an
instant he held up a little guinea pig.
There was a moment's pause, and then the applause broke out at the
effectiveness of the trick.
How was it done?
A trick bottle, you say at once. That is right. The bottle was made
with three compartments. One held milk, another grape juice and the
third water. Joe could pour them out in any order he wished, there
being controlling valves in the bottom of the bottle.
But how did the guinea pig get inside?
It was another bottle. The bottom of this one had been cut off, and,
after the guinea pig had been put inside, the bottom was cemented on
again. This was done just before the trick was performed. On his way
back to the stage, after having given the lady the glass of water, Joe
substituted the bottle containing the guinea pig for the empty one that
had held the three liquids. This was where his quick sleight-of-hand
work came in. When he gently broke the bottle it was easy enough to
remove the little animal, which had been used in tricks so often that
it was used to them.
Joe brought the show to a satisfactory conclusion, perhaps a little
earlier than usual, as he was anxious to get to the hotel and see how
the professor was. The audience seemed highly pleased with the
illusions the boy wizard gave them, and clapped long and loud as Joe
made his final bow.
He left the theatrical people and his helpers to pack up, ready for the
trip to the next town, and hastened to the hotel. There he found
Professor Rosello much better, though still suffering somewhat.
"Do you think you will be able to go on to-morrow night?" asked Joe.
"I don't know," was the answer. "I can tell better to-morrow."
But when the next day came, after a night journey that was painful for
Mr. Crabb, he found that he could not give his portion of the
performance.
And as Joe alone was not quite qualified to give a whole evening's
entertainment it was decided to cancel the engagement. It was not an
important one, though several good "dates" awaited them in other towns
on the route.
"I think I need a rest, Joe," the professor said "My nerves are more
shattered than I thought by that electrical accident. I need a good
rest to straighten them out. I think we'll not give any performances
for at least a month--that is I sha'n't."
Joe looked a little disappointed on hearing this. His living depended
on working for the professor.
"I say I'll not give any more performances right away, Joe," went on
the professor, "but there's no reason why you shouldn't. I have been
watching you of late, and I think you are very well qualified to go on
with the show alone. You could get a helper, of course. But you can
do most of my tricks, as well as your own. What do you say? I'll make
you a liberal offer as regards money. You can consider the show yours
while I'm taking a rest. Would you like it?"
"I think----" began Joe, when there came a knock on the door of their
hotel room.
"Telegram for Joe Strong!" called the voice of the bellboy.