THE REJECTED RECRUITS—A LAUGHABLE TRICK
Select a king and the four knaves and lay the king on the table face upward. Tell the company that the king is recruiting for the army and accepts the knave of clubs, which you place on the king’s right. The knave of spades, which you place on the left, he rejects. The knave of diamonds is accepted and placed on the right. The knave of hearts is declined, and placed on the left.
Now ask your audience how it is that the king, being in want of recruits, accepts two and refuses two.
The answer will puzzle those not acquainted with the trick. It is as follows: Two of the knaves have but one eye each, and are consequently medically unfit.