He then described the feat, explaining what apparatus would be necessary to have it properly worked.
“Say, that’s a good one!” cried Professor Rosello. “It’s great, Joe! And I’ll let you do it yourself, as is your right. I’ll order what you want, and you can practice it, for remember this: a new trick requires lots of practice to make it run smoothly. There’s nothing worse for a magician’s reputation than to have a slip-up when he is working a piece of magic. So practice the new trick well.”
Joe promised that he would, and when the three simple pieces of apparatus were received he devoted much time to perfecting the details of his little bit of mysticism.
The evening came on which Joe was to do his new trick. The ones the professor did were successfully worked, and while Mr. Crabb went behind the scenes to “load” himself for his next act, Joe stepped forward, and, addressing the audience, said:
“For this trick I should like to borrow a gold gentleman’s watch—I should say a gentleman’s gold watch.” The audience laughed at his pretended slip, and this is always a good beginning. There was a moment’s hesitation, and Joe added: “I will return it safely. Come now, can’t I get one gold watch from some one in this large and intelligent-looking audience? Ah, thank you, here is a trusting gentleman,” and he accepted a gold watch which a man in the front row held up. He was not a confederate. Joe had never seen him before, but he took this watch because it was an open-faced one, of just the size he wanted.
“Now before I go on with this trick,” resumed Joe, as he took his place in the center of the stage, “I will, for safe keeping, place the watch in this paper bag.” He held up what seemed to be an ordinary paper bag such as grocers use. The watch went into it, and Joe then twisted the bag up around the watch, the paper assuming a circular form the shape of the watch being plainly visible.
“I’ll just lay the watch, in the bag, on the floor here for a moment,” the young wizard went on. “It will be perfectly safe, I’m sure. I just want to ask a few questions of the owner.”
Joe then went through some “patter” improvised for the occasion, asking the man who had lent him the watch, how long he had had it, whether it kept good time, if it were valuable, and so on.
In the midst of this talk Joe walked about, and then, seemingly by accident, he stepped on the paper bag. There was an instant crunch as if of a broken crystal, and a gasp came from the audience. The man who owned the watch looked rather startled.
“Dear me! This is quite too bad!” exclaimed Joe, stooping to pick up the paper bag and the stepped-on watch. “I am very sorry, sir, but you know accidents will happen. You should have warned me that I was going to step on your watch, my dear sir.”