Part 24 (1/2)
”I'll go after the world's record before the season is over,” he said to Helen.
”I hope you make it,” she said.
”One thing bothers me, though,” said Joe. ”I can't use the goldfish in the tank when I act with Lizzie. She'd do nothing but eat them. And it's quite a bother to have to take the fish out every time just before I let Lizzie go into the water. I could have two tanks, I suppose, doing part of my act in one with the goldfish, and then changing to another with the seal. But I have enough duffle to cart about as it is.
I don't want another big tank.”
”No, it would be a nuisance,” agreed Helen.
”I've tried and tried to think of a way to use the double act, but I can't,” Joe went on. ”I took a couple of goldfish into the tank with Lizzie and me one day, but she gobbled them up before I could turn over. I didn't repeat that experiment.”
Helen seemed to be thinking deeply. Suddenly she clapped her hands, her eyes sparkled, and she cried:
”Oh, Joe! I believe I have it!”
”Have what?”
”The solution of your trouble. I think I know a way in which you can use the goldfish and the seal in the same tank.”
”How, by putting a muzzle on Lizzie?”
”No, but by using a tank with double gla.s.s sides. Let me show you what I mean!”
CHAPTER XX
ACROSS THE TRESTLE
Helen, with a pencil and piece of paper, began rapidly making a little sketch. Joe looked over her shoulder. They were in the outer section of the dressing tent, waiting for their turn to go on with their acts.
”See,” Helen explained, ”you can easily put double gla.s.s sides on your tank by slipping sheets of gla.s.s inside the four present outer sides, leaving a s.p.a.ce of five or six inches between them. Fill this s.p.a.ce with water, and put the goldfish in that. Then they can swim around, and Lizzie can't get at them because they'll be protected by the gla.s.s.”
She made a sectional view of the tank with its double sides and held it up triumphantly to Joe.
”Will that solve the puzzle?” she asked.
”Why, I really believe it will!” exclaimed Joe, after a moment's thought. ”Yes, I could have metal clips, made water-tight with rubber, fitted inside the tank. Taking five inches off each side wouldn't mean much loss. Then I could slip four sheets of gla.s.s down in the metal clips, and, as you say, fill the intervening s.p.a.ce with water for the goldfish.”
”Exactly,” cried Helen. ”The audience can't tell whether the fish are in the tank with you or not, for the water and gla.s.s, being transparent, will make it look exactly as if you and the fish and the seal were in the same bit of water.”
”Good!” cried Joe. ”I'll do it! The very thing, Helen!”
The fact that persons looking directly at a gla.s.s tank of water can not tell how far back the water and tank extends is taken advantage of by moving picture operators in producing novel effects. Only the other day was shown a scene where a man apparently went down to the bottom of a river. Fish swam all about him, there was a portion of a wreck half buried in the sand and mud, and waving aquatic plants seemed to reach out and twine themselves around the man, while fish swam above and below him.
This effect was produced by having the man go through certain actions behind a square gla.s.s tank in which the sand, aquatic plants, wreck and fish had been placed. The fish could swim about, but the man was not in the water at all but behind the tank, the water and gla.s.s offering no obstruction to the camera.
It was that principle which Helen suggested to Joe. He and the seal would be doing their act behind a gla.s.s and water screen, in which fish were swimming and aquatic plants gently waving.
Joe lost no time in putting the plan into operation. He ordered the gla.s.s and metal holding clips, with the water-tight rubber gaskets, from the same firm in New York that had originally made Benny's tank.
They still had the patterns, and knew just the proper size and kind of gla.s.s to send, and Joe had no difficulty in malting his tank a double one.