Variation.—With two duplicate cards. After having shuffled the pack let the bottommost be drawn, examined, and destroyed.
Go to the chimney place and whistle: “Father, come home!” and, on returning to your former place, pull the duplicate card from the selector’s ear.
Modification.—Let a corner of the destroyed card be given to you. For this substitute a corner of the duplicate card. On returning and producing the card it is found to want that very piece by which it is to be identified.
A PACK OF CARDS KEPT TOGETHER IN THE AIR.
Have a pack of cards bound together with a hair, on the shelf at the back of your table. After having shuffled another pack of cards, bunch them rapidly, and, in lowering your hand as if to throw them away—substitute the prepared pack. These will fly through the air like a solid body until it comes in contact with ceiling, wall, or floor, when it will fall asunder.
TO CHANGE A CARD BY WORD OF COMMAND.
Have two cards of the same sort in the pack (say the ace of hearts). Place one next the bottom card (say ten of clubs), and the other at top. Shuffle the cards without displacing those three, and show a person that the bottom card is the ten of clubs. This card you slip aside with your moistened finger, and, taking the ace of hearts from the bottom, which all suppose to be the ten of clubs, lay it on the table, telling him to cover it with his hand. Shuffle the cards again, without displacing the first and last card, and, shifting the other see of hearts from the top to the bottom, show it to another person.
You then draw that secretly away, and, taking the bottom card, which will then be the ten of clubs, you lay that on the table, and tell the second person (who believes it to be the ace of hearts) to cover it with his hand.
You then command the cards to change places; and when the two parties take off their hands and turn up the cards, they will see, to their great astonishment, that your commands are obeyed.