MYSTERIOUS TRICK OF THIRTY-SIX CARDS. TELLING THE CARD YOU LOOK AT WITHOUT SEEING THE PACK.
To perform this trick you must take a pack of cards containing fifty-two in number. Then take out the two, three, four, and five spots of each suit (meaning the spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs). Then commence as follows with the remaining thirty-six: Commencing with six of diamonds, face downwards, seven of clubs, eight of hearts, nine of spades, ten of diamonds, jack of clubs, queen of hearts, king of spades, ace of diamonds, six of clubs, seven of hearts, eight of spades, nine of diamonds, ten of clubs, jack of hearts, queen of spades, king of diamonds, ace of clubs, six of hearts, seven of spades, eight of diamonds, nine of clubs, ten of hearts, jack of spades, queen of diamonds, king of clubs, ace of hearts, six of spades, seven of diamonds, eight of clubs, nine of hearts, ten of spades, jack of diamonds, queen of clubs, king of hearts, ace of spades.
After having arranged the cards in the order above mentioned, they may be cut by all in the house, or as many as please, and by placing the cut under the pack each time the relative position will not be changed. Then ask the person who has the cards in his hand what card he has at the bottom of the pack (the faces being down); he answers, giving the name of the bottom card; then you can answer positively, by calling the card one less in value. For example, the nine of clubs is at the bottom, the eight of diamonds will be upon the top, the second will be the seven of spades, the third the six of hearts, the fourth the ace of clubs, the fifth the king of diamonds, and thus you will find them completely arranged throughout the pack. At the conclusion of this feat you may shuffle them over and under by holding the main pack in the left hand, and slipping the cards off one at a time in the right hand, one over and the other under, until you change them entirely through the pack, then return the pack to the right hand and repeat the over and under shuffle. Then you can deal them out into four parcels, nine at a time, and you will find the nine hearts in one pile, the nine diamonds in the second, the nine spades in the third, and clubs in the fourth.