This trick was shown by a conjurer before the late King Edward a few years ago, and His Majesty was reported in the daily papers to have expressed “great surprise.”
TWO SELECTED CARDS CAUGHT IN THE AIR
Two cards are selected and returned to the pack, which you then make a pretence of shuffling, taking care not to lose sight of the chosen cards; “slip” (Hercat’s Card Tricks, p. 10) one of the latter to the top of the pack and the others to the bottom face upward. Have a small piece of wax on your right finger and thumb and press the pack between them. Obtain the names of the selected cards, and then throw the pack in the air, moving your hand away quickly, with, of course, the selected cards sticking 14 to your thumb and finger. As the cards descend thrust your hand in among them, and then, separating your thumb and finger, show the cards adhering to them, which you will appear to have caught.
AN EASY BUT PUZZLING TRICK
Any card may be drawn—not “forced”—and returned to the pack. In pretending to shuffle the cards, bring the selected card to the bottom of the pack, and then slip another card in front of it. Show your friend this card at the bottom and ask him if it is his. Of course he will say “No.” Lower the pack, and with the fingers of your left hand draw the bottom card back about half an inch, and with your right hand draw out the next card—which is the one chosen—and place it face down on the table. Shuffle the pack and again show the bottom card, “Is this your card?” “No.” “Then I will place this one on the table”—which you do. Repeat this, and place a third card from the bottom of the pack on the table. Then say, “I am sure your card must be one of the three. No? Look and see for yourself.” He turns the three cards over, and of course finds his card is one of them.
TRAVELLING CARDS
Give the pack to a member of the company, and request him to count off between twenty and forty cards, place the pack on the table, and hand the cards he has counted to you. You then hand the pile to a second person and 15 request him to count off about one-third of the number, lay them in a pile on the table, and hand you the remainder, which you give to the first person, requesting him to place them in his pocket. Taking up the second pile, you request the second person to place it in his pocket. We will suppose the first person selected thirty and the second person abstracted ten cards from them, which should leave twenty now in the pocket of the former. Then announce your intention of causing a certain number of cards to leave the pocket of person number one and travel invisibly into the pocket of person number two. Open a pocket-handkerchief, and covering number one’s pocket, flick it in the direction of person number two, exclaiming, “They have gone!” On the two piles being produced and counted, those from the pocket of number one person will number only fifteen, and the same number will be found in the second pile.
Explanation.—When you receive the thirty cards from the first person, you palm off five or six cards (the number is immaterial) and retain them concealed in your hand, handing the remainder to the second person. When he has counted off ten and placed them on the table, you take those that are left from him and hand them to person number one. When picking up the pile of ten from the table, while pretending to square it, you add the palmed cards and hand the pile thus increased to person number two. You must be careful not to allow the two persons to count the cards after the changes have been made. If you see they are inclined to do so, take the piles from them and place them in their pockets yourself.
TO NAME ALL THE CARDS IN THE PACK
Ask some one to shuffle the pack, and, on receiving it back, glance at the bottom card. Put the pack behind your back, and then turn the top card round with its face toward you; bring the pack in front of you, the bottom card facing the audience and the turned card facing you. Having already glanced at the bottom card, you can tell them its name, and you now know the card on top. Put the pack behind you again, and move the top card to the front, and turn the one now on top round. Again hold the pack up and name the front card, at the same time noting the card facing you. By repeating this process you can name all the cards in the pack. Take care to have all your audience in front of you, or the turned card will be seen.