The Magician's Own Book, or, the Whole Art of Conjuring / Being a complete hand-book of parlor magic, and containing over one thousand optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical, and magical experiments, amusing transmutations, astonishing sleights and subtleties, celebrated card deceptions, ingenious tricks with numbers, curious and entertaining puzzles, together with all the most noted tricks of modern performers.

by George Arnold; Frank Cahill

Having placed the cards in the above order, desire a bystander to think of a card or number, and when he has done so, to touch any other card or number. Request him then to add to the number of the card touched the number of the cards employed, which in this case is ten. Then desire him to count the sum in an order contrary to that of the natural numbers, beginning at the card he touched, and assigning it the number of the card he thought of. By counting in this manner, he will end at the number or card he thought of, and consequently you will immediately know it.

Thus, for example, suppose the person had thought of 3 C, and touched 6 F; then, if 10 be added to 6, the sum will be 16; and if that number be counted from F, the number touched, towards E D B C A, and so on, in the retrograde order, counting F three, the number thought of, E five, D six, and so round to sixteen, that number will terminate at C, showing that the person thought of 3, the number which corresponds to C.

A greater or less number of cards or counters may be employed at pleasure; but in every instance the whole number of cards must be added to the number of the card touched.

THE TWO TRAVELERS.

Two travelers trudged along the road together,

Talking, as Yankees do, about the weather;

When, lo! beside their path the foremost spies

Three casks, and loud exclaims "A prize, a prize!"

One large, two small, but all of various size.

This way and that they gazed, and all around,