Filtrated Coin.—Borrow a half-dollar from one of the company, wrap it up in a handkerchief, and request some one to hold it over a glass of water.
Presto! The coin is dropped into the glass and heard to jingle. When the handkerchief is removed the half-dollar has disappeared, apparently dissolved in the water. This very effective trick is accomplished by means of a glass disc of the same diameter as a half-dollar. The modus operandi is as follows: Borrow a half-dollar and while holding it in your hand throw a handkerchief over it. Under cover of the handkerchief exchange the coin for the glass disc which you have concealed in your palm. Now get some one to hold the disc by its edges through the handkerchief, directly over the glass of water. He naturally supposes that he is holding the coin.
Pronounce your magical phrase, and command your volunteer assistant to drop the half-dollar into the glass. It will fall with a jingle similar to that of a coin, and will lie invisible at the bottom of the glass. You may even pour off the water, but the disc, thanks to the power of suction, will remain in the same position, firmly attached to the drinking-glass. To complete the effect the genuine half-dollar should then be produced from under the table or from the pocket of the volunteer assistant.
THE OLD TRUNK
For the month of May we will award a year’s subscription to Youth for each of the best three original puzzles submitted to us before June 1st. The names of the successful competitors, together with the prize-winning puzzles, will be published in an early number of the magazine. Of the remaining puzzles, all of those which show merit will also appear in the succeeding issues. This offer is open to every one.
The correct answers for the April puzzles are given below:
| 1. | Herring, ray, carp. |
| Shark, perch, shad. | |
| Sole, bass, eel. | |
| 2. | Ericsson. |
| 3. | Monongahela. |
| Yukon. | |
| Amazon. | |
| Rhine. | |
| Colorado. | |
| 4. | James Russell Lowell. |
| 5. | Thou-sand. |
| 6. | Pear-bear. |
(1) Deprive farewell of head and tail and leave expire; (2) the usual covering of the head, and leave atmosphere; (3) on fire, and leave whim; (4) distant, and leave a note in the musical scale; (5) collections of regulations, and leave song; (6) an image of false worship, and leave a verb of action; (7) employed for money, and leave anger; (8) free from obscurity, and leave meadow.
When the above words have been correctly guessed and then beheaded and abridged, their initials, when placed one above each other in the order given, will spell the name of a well-known garden flower.