A Vanishing-Cuff Parlor Trick
A trick which is interesting and amusing for the entertainment of the home audience, is performed with a derby hat and a gentleman’s cuff. The effect is produced as follows: The performer takes the derby from his head and shows that it is empty. He removes one of his cuffs and drops it into the hat. He tips the hat over so that the spectators can see the inside, and the hat appears empty. He then shakes his arm, and the white cuff reappears, whereupon he places the hat back on his head. The explanation is simple: The white cuff, dropped into the hat, contains a false cuff link, and the inside of the cuff is painted black. A thread holds the cuff in shape until the latter is dropped into the hat, when the thread is broken without the spectators being aware of it. The cuff just fits into the hat, and its ends are deftly snapped beneath the hatband, the hat thus appearing empty. The duplicate cuff is kept on the forearm of the performer, and with a shake, slides into place.—Merritt Hale, Hartford, Conn.
¶A little fresh developer added occasionally to old developing solutions will bring them up in speed and intensity.