As usual, Leo was the first to appear, doing a number of feats which were watched with close attention. As the space was limited he did not confine himself to acrobatics but, in addition, performed several tricks with fire which Carl had taught him.
Among other things he did was to stuff his mouth with burning cotton.
“He’ll burn himself up!” cried several, but Leo only smiled. His mouth had been washed with a strong solution of alum, and was to a certain degree fireproof. Of course, he had to be very careful in doing the fire tricks, for at the best such tricks are highly dangerous.
“I will next swallow a red-hot knife,” he announced, and brought in an iron blade, heated to a red heat. He faced the audience sideways, and it looked as if the knife slid down into his open mouth, which was thrown back, but in reality it slipped close to the outside of his mouth, on the side from the spectators, and into a sheath inside his collar, placed there to receive it. As the knife disappeared, the sheath followed, and he faced the audience to show that all was fair and square.
This concluded Leo’s single act, and then Carl came on. After giving a number of the tricks previously mentioned, he came forward smilingly.
“I have in my hand a box given me by the Prince of Wales,” he said, holding up an oblong object four inches wide by four high and eight inches long. “This box, the prince insisted, was the most wonderful box he had ever possessed. See; I open the box, and find it contains nothing but an empty sliding drawer. Will somebody be kind enough to put a quarter into the box?”
He held the open drawer out, and a young lady threw a piece of silver into it. Then Carl shut the box up and blew upon it. When he opened the box again the silver was gone!
The company applauded, while the young lady looked glum. Carl smiled upon her.
“Never mind; we’ll try to get the silver back,” he said, and struck the box on the bottom. Then he opened the drawer, and out tumbled the coin into the lady’s lap.
“Good! good! Very neat!”