Cassell's Book of In-door Amusements, Card Games, and Fireside Fun

by Various

. The cards may then readily and openly be cut at the desired point, and a careless wave of the hand holding the pack will enable the performer to get the necessary sight of the desired card. Houdin's instruction on this point is apparently simpler, but we think more difficult to attain by an inexperienced performer. After instructing as to the position of the little finger, he says that the pack should be opened at that point with extreme rapidity, and the card ascertained by a swift glance. This method undoubtedly is better, if it can be safely performed without detection; but the rapidity of motion and the swiftness of the glance will be difficulties not easily overcome by an amateur magician.

THE FALSE SHUFFLE.

This is a movement intended to neutralise suspicions that may be held by spectators to the effect that the cards are retained in a pre-arranged order. There are several kinds of false shuffles, but the performer must use his discretion as to which he adopts. Generally speaking, however, it is only one, or at most a few cards that it is desired not to lose sight of, and then the neatest so-called false shuffle will be that which permits the pack, as a whole, to be genuinely shuffled, while the card or cards to be kept in view are retained in one position in the pack, secured either at the top or bottom of the pack, or the place where they may be found may be designated by means of the little finger, as in making the pass.

Clumsy performers who find a difficulty in mastering the above preliminaries of card-conjuring sometimes make use of what is called the Long Card.

THE LONG CARD.

This is a card either a trifle longer or wider, or both longer and wider, than the remainder of the pack; the difference being such that, although readily distinguishable by the touch of the performer, it is not perceptible to the eye of the spectator. To make the long card, have the whole pack, excepting one card, slightly shaved down at a book-binder's; this can be done in a second by placing the cards in a book-binder's cutting machine. The use of the long card should, however, be as much as possible avoided: it encourages the use of mechanical appliances, when a little diligence will overcome all difficulties by sleight-of-hand. Remember, as the penny showman announces at country fairs, that "The true Hart of Conjuring is to make the And of the performer deceive the Heye of the spectator."

TO GUESS A CARD THOUGHT OF.

This trick can only be successfully performed by introducing it apparently in a casual manner between tricks of an altogether different nature. Spread out the cards in such a manner that when they are held with their faces towards the audience one card only is entirely exposed to view. Shuffle them about freely, with the faces of the cards turned continually towards the audience, and request a person in the company to take a mental note of one of the cards. The probability is that the majority of those present would fix upon just that card that has been throughout completely exposed to view. Suppose, for example, it is the jack of hearts. When one of the audience has expressed himself as having mentally selected a card, shuffle the pack, carefully keeping in view the jack of hearts by using the false shuffle already described. Flourish the cards well about, and finally pick out the jack of hearts, apparently as a card taken at random. Refrain from looking at its face in the presence at any rate of the audience, and place it back uppermost on the table. Again select a card to be noted by the audience, and proceed as before, until three or four cards have been placed upon the table. Then request the company present who have selected cards to name them, and as they do so pick up the respective cards named from the table. In nine cases out of ten, with an audience with whom this trick is not familiar, all will proceed smoothly; and a performer may generally rest satisfied that if the trick should be known to two or three in an ordinary drawing-room audience, they will keep silence, to ensure a due share of credit to the performer and amusement to the rest of the spectators. In the event, however, of a card other than the one desired having been selected, at once, but politely, insinuate that the memory of the spectator may perhaps be deficient, take up the wrong card, and, while continuing with some appropriate talk or "patter," shuffle the cards as if at random, keeping the wrong card conspicuously in view of the audience until sight is obtained of the correct card; palm it at once, or keep it in view until it can be brought out apparently at random, and changed for the wrong card in such a way that the change shall not be seen. Then, still insisting upon the defective memory of the spectator, say that for his satisfaction the necessary change has been made. If this part of the trick be cleverly done, it is generally as effective as when all goes smoothly, it being evidently easier to select by chance a proper card than to change the spots or designation of one card into the spots or designation of another; besides which, it often is the cause of raising a laugh in the performer's favour, which will be of material assistance in the event of any subsequent trick not going off altogether satisfactorily.

This trick is usually done with a portion of a pack picked up at random, necessitating the spectator fixing on a card seen rather than on any card in an ordinary pack.