SYMPATHETIC CURRENTS OF DIVINATION.
A brother philosopher of mine (says Hanky Panky) has written about sympathetic atoms of communication. Descartes, as he is named, maintained that any one could put himself in correspondence with another so as to read in his mind as in a book, by aid of connecting atoms. Ahem!
I will now (continues Mr. H. Panky) apply to a lady and a gentleman, to whom I give each a sealed letter, with the request for them to take the best of care of them, and not to open them until permission is given.
I have here a pack of ordinary playing cards, which may be freely examined, from which are excluded all below the value of seven, being what is known as a piquet or euchre pack.
I make eight piles here on the table of four cards each, and number them. The gentleman holding the letter will kindly point out which one he selects. Observe that the gentleman has taken the third pile. I beg to offer it to him while I pick up the other cards.
I now spread out a set of dominoes on the table, of which I form four rows of seven each, face down on the table. I part the four rows into two ranks, separated by the empty domino-box between them.
The gentleman will please choose one of the rows, and then one of the piles in it. I give him that pile and turn up the dominoes to show that no two are alike.
I present to the lady a pencil, and ask her to mark one of the three flowers painted on the board held out to her.
The lady has marked the lily.
The gentleman can now open the letter, when he may read as follows:—
“Sir—The four cards chosen by you are the king of spades, the eight of diamonds, the ace of hearts, and the knave of hearts.
The pile of seven dominoes contains the blank-two, three-two, double-four, four-five, deuce-ace, cinq-three, double-one, in all thirty-seven points.
“Signed Hanky Panky.”
On opening the lady’s letter, she may read:—
“Madam—You were destined to choose the lily.
“Signed H. Panky.”
And I shake the envelope out to produce a lovely lily, which was the flower the lady preferred.
Explanation.—The cards were eight sets of four, which were respectively the spade king, the eight of diamonds, ace of hearts, and knave of hearts. Consequently, wherever the choice fell it was sure to light on the cards which were named in the letter previously prepared.
The dominoes were placed in the box face up, as usual, but the bottom row was composed of the series which you wish to come out. On putting them on the table place the prepared lot on your left hand. If the right-hand lot should be chosen, quietly remove it, saying that you put it out of the way, and we will use the other (for it seems perfectly fair that the choice should as well exclude as include the lot). In the same way deal with the other rows so as to have the prepared set in any case.
The three names of flowers, or the flowers themselves, painted on a board, have the one to be selected somewhat prominent, and, with a little art, you can always induce a lady to mark the desired one. (See directions to “force a card,” in The Secret Out.)