Changing Caddies.—These are of various kinds. We will begin with the simplest, thence proceeding to the more complicated. The conjurors caddy, in its most elementary form, is an oblong box, about six inches in length by five in height and four in width. (See [Fig. 178].) One-half of its interior, which is divided into two compartments by a transverse bar across the top, is occupied by a drawer, or moveable compartment, so arranged as to slide freely backwards and forwards from end to end, according as the caddy is allowed to slope in the one direction or the other. (See [Figs. 179 and 180].) Each compartment has its own lid, the caddy sometimes, but not always, having an outer lid in addition.
Fig. 179. Fig. 180.
We will suppose that it is desired to produce any article from the caddy, first shown empty. The article in question (say an egg, hard-boiled for safety) is beforehand placed in the moveable compartment, which we will suppose to occupy for the time being the space under lid a, as shown in [Fig. 179]. The performer takes off the opposite lid b, and shows the space beneath empty. Before removing the second lid, he slopes the caddy in the opposite direction, so as to bring the moveable compartment under lid b (see [Fig. 180]), and thus is enabled to show the space under a also empty. He then proceeds with the trick, and at the right moment produces the article from the caddy.
Fig. 181.
It is obvious that the caddy above described is only available for appearances and disappearances, and not for transformations. To obviate this defect, the majority of caddies are now made with three compartments (see [Fig. 181]), with a sliding drawer occupying two of them. The caddy in this form may be used to “change” objects in manner following:—The sliding drawer being as shown in [Fig. 181], the article to be ultimately produced (say an orange) is placed in b. The three compartments are now shown empty, beginning with c, and allowing the sliding drawer to assume the position shown in [Fig. 182], before in turn uncovering a and b. The article to be changed (say a watch) is now placed openly in compartment b. The performer closes the lid, and, after a moment’s interval, reopens it, but in that interval slopes the caddy so as to again bring the sliding drawer into the position shown in [Fig. 181], when the orange is again brought under b, and, on removing the lid, is disclosed. To show that the watch has really disappeared, the caddy may again be shown (apparently) empty, in the same manner as at first.
Fig. 182.
There are a good many varieties of caddies made. One is known as the “skeleton” caddy, from the fact that the bottom is made to take out, so that the company can look through all three compartments. The sliding drawer in this case is bottomless, and is so arranged as only to slide when the performer releases it by pressing upon a particular spot in the ornamental moulding round the bottom of the caddy. This pressure withdraws a little pin, which normally rests in a little hole in the side of the sliding drawer, and thus renders it for the time being a fixture. In some caddies, again, the sliding drawer does not run up and down by its own weight, but is moved backwards and forwards from below by means of a projecting pin passing through a slit in the bottom of the caddy. The caddy in this case does not require to be inclined one way or the other, and is on this account preferred by many to the other make.