Selling his last ticket, Red shut the gate, setting the boat free of its tie ropes. Pretty soon the scow was moving slowly down the canal.
Scoop was behind the big black screen, and at his signal we jerked the screen away, making him “appear.” He bowed and everybody clapped their hands.
Having carefully rehearsed our parts we knew just what to do and when to do it. Everything went off fine. We made two tables appear, one on each side of the stage. Then we made a pitcher appear on one table and a flower pot on the other. In the course of the performance I went back of the curtain to prepare myself for the “Living Head” trick.
Scoop told the audience that he would now perform his greatest feat. That was my cue. Putting a black screen in front of my powdered head, so that I wouldn’t be seen, I slipped my chin over the edge of the white wooden platter. Scoop waved his wand and Peg jerked away the screen.
There was a ripple of laughter.
“Hi, Jerry!” some kid in the audience called out. [[62]]
“Who cut your head off, Jerry?” another yelled.
“It can’t be Jerry,” I heard Dad say, “because it looks too clean.”
I grinned.
“Cut it out,” Scoop hissed. “You aren’t supposed to be alive yet.”