OUT WEST
The Sampson Brothers' Show in Madison Square Garden was drawing big
crowds, and everything seemed to be going along satisfactorily. Joe's
act on the high wire continued to thrill, and at each afternoon and
evening performance he received an ovation in the way of applause.
It would not be fair to say that Joe received more applause than any
other performer, for there were many who divided honors with him. But
the fact that his act was such a novelty counted much in his favor.
Then, too, he had been well advertised in the moving pictures and by
his climbing of the Flatiron Building.
One night one of the big elephants somehow slipped his leg chains,
walked up out of the basement, and wandered into Madison Avenue, there
to startle the crowds on the New York streets.
But he was a good-natured elephant, and when, having been missed, a
squad of men went after him and found him, he allowed himself to be led
back to his place of captivity. For a time he furnished unexpected
amusement to the Manhattanites, who are always ready for that sort of
thing.
Then, too, there was a fight between two big tigers. That occurred in
the early morning hours, and for a time pandemonium reigned in the
basement. But the animals were separated without injuring each other
very much, though if one had heard the press agent of the show relate
the story of the combat to the newspaper men later, one would have
imagined that the striped animals were only prevented from devouring
each other by the application of elephant ankuses and red-hot irons.
But that's how press agents earn their money, and, after all, the fight
was sufficiently fierce. It made a "good story," and bigger crowds than
ever came to the show to see the advertised beasts.
It was one afternoon, following a performance that had not been as
well attended as usual, that Joe passed Jim Tracy while the latter was
sitting on one of the big half-barrels used in an elephant act. The
ring-master seemed to be troubled about something.
"What's wrong?" asked Joe. "Are the elephants eating too many peanuts,
or have you the tooth-ache?"
"Neither one," the ring-master said.
"Well, something is the matter," Joe insisted.
"Yes, there is," agreed Jim Tracy. "The truth of the matter is that I
want a novelty and I don't know where to get it. I've been around to
all the booking offices, and they haven't anything on their lists but
what is as old as the hills. I want something new--something that will
put a little ginger into our show. We've got to attract the crowds
during the time we have left here. When we are out on the road I'm
not so much worried--we'll get the crowds then. But in New York it's
different. They expect something new all the while and we've got to
give it to 'em."
"Well, maybe we can," observed Joe, and there was a twinkle in his eyes
which the ring-master did not see.
"Give it to 'em? That's the trouble!" exclaimed Jim Tracy. "I don't see
how we can. I've tried to work up a new animal act, but it doesn't seem
to go. I've spoken to a number of the performers, asking them if they
didn't have something up their sleeves, but they said they were doing
all they could, and I guess that's right."
"You didn't ask me," said Joe quietly.
"You!" exclaimed the ring-master. "Why, I guess you're doing your
share, Joe. I don't expect you to add anything new. Yours is the
biggest novelty in the circus now. I don't see that you can add to it."
"Oh, but I can, though," said Joe. "I've been preparing a little
something, and I guess it's about time to pull it off now."
"For the love of sawdust! what is it?" cried Jim. "Tell me quick. Is
there a chance?"
"Well, of course, I don't know how it will go," admitted the
motor-cycle wire-rider. "But I've been practising on the quiet, and now
I'm ready to try a dress rehearsal, as you might say."
"Good!" cried the ring-master. "Do you want any help?"
"Only what Ryan and Jeroleman can give me. They're in the game with me.
Now, if you like, I'll show you what I can do."
"You're not going to cut out the wire act, are you?" asked Jim Tracy
anxiously.
"No, indeed! This is just an addition to it. Just wait a few minutes."
"All right. Hurry though."
Joe summoned his two helpers, and while one of them brought out the
motor-cycle, the other brought a box from the place where Joe kept his
paraphernalia in the big ring. There were only a few of the circus
attendants in the Garden at that hour, for most of them were at supper
or getting ready for the night performance.
After Joe had given his "dress rehearsal" as he called it, though
he rode in ordinary clothes, not putting on his fancy suit, there
was a shout of approval from Jim Tracy and from some of the other
ring-masters and managers of the big show.
"Great! Fine!" cried Jim enthusiastically. "That will make 'em stand
up and yell all right, Joe. It's just the novelty I've been looking
for, but I didn't think you'd spring it. Is that what you have been
doing every afternoon when you went off with Ryan and Jeroleman?"
"Yes," admitted our hero. "I needed some practice, and I got it on the
road. I knew if I could do it over an uneven road I could do it on the
smooth wire."
"And will you put it on to-night?"
"I sure will."
"Then I'll tip off the newspaper boys that there'll be something doing.
They haven't been giving us good write-ups lately. This is great, Joe!"
There was an air of subdued excitement among the circus folk at the
performance that night. For though Joe had tried to keep his little
novelty a secret, it had leaked out and his fellow performers were on
the alert for what would happen during his act.
The usual preparations were made, but Joe was more than usually careful
to look to every part of his apparatus. He went over the life-net
twice, though Ryan and Jeroleman assured him that they had tested it
thoroughly.
Then he looked to the wire, and made sure that it was properly taut,
while at the places where it emerged from the buried anchors, he had
the surface of the ground smoothed down just before he started to
ride, though already it was as level as a billiard table.
"But I'm going to take no chances," said Joe, grimly.
He went carefully over every inch of the approach, and at last he
announced himself satisfied. The motor-cycle was wheeled into place
and Joe took his position in the saddle. Then Ryan handed to him what
seemed to be a bundle wrapped in a flag.
"Oh, he's going to pull the old stunt," said one of the Lascalla
Brothers, with whom Joe had formerly been associated. "He's going
to wave the United States flag when he's in the middle of the wire.
That'll get him a hand, sure, but it is as old as the hills."
"Maybe he'll do it differently," suggested Señor Bogardi, the lion
tamer.
"You wait and see," returned Tonzo Lascalla, sneeringly.
Having seen that Joe was all ready, Ryan and Jeroleman took their
positions on the ground, off to the sides but at the middle of the high
wire.
"All ready?" called Joe.
"Ready!" answered his helpers in chorus.
There was a sputter as the gasoline motor started, and Joe shot forward
on his machine. Up the incline he went, and then he rode out on the
level, high wire.
There was an expectant hush as he neared the middle of the stretch, for
it seemed as if the audience had half felt that something unusual was
to occur. And then, in the center of the span of wire, something did
happen.
Joe took his hands from the guiding bars of his machine, and a close
observer could have seen that he was steering with his legs, cords
running from the end of each handle bar to his knees.
There was a flutter of flags. Tonzo Lascalla had guessed partly right,
for in each of Joe's hands fluttered the stars and stripes. But this
was not all.
From down on the ground where Ryan stood there was a motion, and a big
red glass ball went whirling up into the air toward Joe's right hand.
He extended that arm. There was a flash of flame, a puff of smoke, a
sharp report, and the red ball was shattered to bits.
Then, on the other side, tossed up by Jeroleman, came a blue ball.
Again the fire, the smoke, and the report, and that ball was shattered.
And then, dropping the two pistols into the net below him, Joe grasped
the handle bars of his machine, which had been going at full speed when
he shot, and down the incline he steered it.
There was a moment's hush before the crowd realized what had happened,
and then there broke out a tumult of cheers, yells, applause and
whistling--this last from the top gallery.
While riding across the high wire Joe had broken two glass balls with
two pistol shots.
"Great, Joe! Great!" cried Jim, rushing up to him. "It went even better
than I thought it would. That puts the ginger in all right! Listen to
'em!"
The crowd was still applauding.
"So this is what your target practice meant," said Helen, as she went
up to shake hands with Joe.
"Yes," he said. "I knew it wouldn't do to make any misses, and so I
practised. Then when I got so I was pretty fair in the gallery I went
out in the most secluded roads I could find, riding my old machine, and
I broke balls as Ryan and Jeroleman tossed them up. It took a little
while to get into form, but----"
"You did it!" cried the ring-master. "This will make a hit all right!"
And it did. There were good press notices, and the attendance that had
begun to fall off was increased.
"It couldn't have happened at a better time," said Jim Tracy. "For we
go West in three weeks, and we'll have some dandy advance notices,
thanks to you, Joe."
While the show remained in Madison Square Garden Joe continued to do
his shooting trick, creating a sensation twice a day.
The final performance had been given in the big Garden, the animals
had been led out to the cars to which they had been strangers for some
time, the performers had packed their trunks, and once more the circus
was on the road, heading for the West.