How to Behave and How to Amuse: A Handy Manual of Etiquette and Parlor Games

by George H. Sandison

The Vanishing Ring.

You may cause a ring to shift from one hand to another, and make it go on any finger required on the other hand, while somebody holds both your arms, in order to prevent communication between them by attending to these instructions:—Desire some lady in company to lend you a gold ring, recommending her, at the same time, to make a mark on it, that she may know it again. Have a gold ring of your own, which fasten by a small piece of catgut-string, to a watch-barrel, and sew it to the left sleeve of your coat. Take the ring that is given you in your right hand; then putting, with dexterity, the other ring fastened to the watch-barrel, near the entrance of your sleeve, draw it privately to the fingers’ ends of your left hand. During this operation, hide the ring that has been lent to you between the fingers of your right hand, and fasten it dexterously on a little hook, sewed for the purpose, on your waistcoat, and hidden by your coat. After that show your ring, which hold in your left hand; then ask the company on which finger of the other hand they wish it to pass. During this interval, and as soon as the answer has been given, put the before-mentioned finger on the little hook, in order to slip the ring on it; at that moment let go the other ring, by opening your fingers. The spring which is in the watch-barrel, being confined no longer, will contract, and make the ring slip under the sleeve, without anybody perceiving it, not even those who hold your arms; as their attention will be occupied to prevent your hands from communicating. After this operation, show the assembly that the ring is come on the other hand; and make them remark that it is the same that had been lent to you, or that the mark is right. Much dexterity must be made use of to succeed in this entertaining trick, that the deception may not be suspected.

The Handkerchief Trick.

This feat, strange as it appears, is very simple; the performer must have a confederate, who has two handkerchiefs of the same quality, and with the same mark, one of which he throws upon the table, to perform the feat with. The performer takes care to put this handkerchief uppermost in making a bundle, though he affects to mix them together promiscuously. The person, whom he desires to draw one of the handkerchiefs, naturally takes that which comes first to hand. The performer then desires to shake them again to embellish the operation; but in so doing, takes care to bring the right handkerchief uppermost, and carefully fixes upon some simpleton to draw; and if he find the person is not likely to take the first that comes to hand, he prevents him from drawing by fixing upon another, under pretence of his having a more sagacious look. When the handkerchief is torn, and carefully folded up, it is put under a glass upon a table placed near a partition. On that part of the table on which the handkerchief is deposited, is a little trap, which opens and lets it fall into a drawer. The confederate, concealed behind the curtain, passes his hand under the table, opens the trap, and substitutes the second handkerchief for the first. He then shuts the trap, which so exactly fits the hole it closes, as to deceive the eyes of the most incredulous. If the performer be not possessed of such a table, he must have a second handkerchief in his pocket, and change it by sleight of hand.

The Canary in the Egg.

Separate an egg in the middle, as neatly as possible; empty it, and then with a fine piece of paper and a little glue, join the two halves together, having first put a live canary bird inside it, which will continue unhurt in it for sometime, provided you make a small pin-hole in the shell to supply the bird with air; have also, a whole egg in readiness. Present the two eggs for one to be chosen; put the egg, which contains the bird, next to the person who is to choose, and, for this purpose, be sure to select a lady; she naturally chooses the nearest to her, because, having no idea of the trick to be performed, there is no apparent reason to take the further one at any rate, if the wrong one be taken, you do not fail in the trick, for you break the egg, and say: “You see that this egg is fair and fresh, madam, so you would have found the other, if you had chosen it. Now, do you choose to find in it a mouse, or a canary-bird?” She naturally declares for the bird; nevertheless, if she ask for the mouse, there are means to escape: you ask the same question of several ladies, and gather the majority of votes, which, in all probability, will be in favor of the bird, which you then produce.

The Money Box Trick.

A piece of money, or a ring, is put into a box, in the presence of a person who holds it; the operator stands at a distance, and bids him shake the box gently, and the piece is heard to rattle inside; he is desired again to shake it, and then it is not heard to rattle; the third time, it is again heard, but the fourth time it is gone, and is found in the shoe of one of the company. The box must be made on purpose, in such a manner that, in shaking it gently up and down, the piece within is heard; on the contrary, shaking it hard, horizontally, a little spring, which falls on the piece, prevents it from being heard, which makes you imagine it is not within. He who performs the trick, then touches the box, under pretence of showing how to shake it, and, although it is locked, he easily gets out the piece by means of a secret opening, availing himself of that minute to put in a false piece, and to leave the box with the same person, whom he causes to believe that the piece is or is not within, according to the manner the box is shaken: at length, the original piece is found in the shoe of one of the company, either by means of the person being found in confederacy, and having a similar piece, or by sending another to slip it on the floor. In this last case, it is found on the floor, and the person fixed on is persuaded that it fell from his shoe as he was taking it off.

A Startling Metamorphosis.

Take a few nut-galls, bruise them to a very fine powder, which strew nicely upon a towel; then put a little brown copperas into a basin of water; this will soon dissolve, and leave the water perfectly transparent. After any person has washed in this water, and wiped with the towel on which the galls have been strewn, his hands and face will immediately become black; but, in a few days, by washing with soap, they will again become clean. This trick is too mischievous for performance.