Home Entertaining: Amusements for Every One

by William Eastman Chenery

Another way: Take two straws from a stiff broom. Cut one in half and fold each piece into the shape of a hairpin. Place one astride on each end of the long knife, which you hold steadily, and if on a level surface they will walk towards each other until they meet in the middle.

The Broken Match Restored. The performer requests a member of the audience to give him an ordinary wooden match, first marking the same for the purpose of identification. He then wraps the match in a handkerchief, in which condition he hands it to a spectator with the request to break the match, still enclosed in the handkerchief, to pieces. This is done, after which, the handkerchief is shaken out and the marked match falls from its fold quite restored.

The secret of this trick consists in having a duplicate match concealed in the hem of the handkerchief from the outset. The marked match is simply lodged in the fold of the handkerchief, the one in the hem being brought up to the centre and put into the hands of the spectator. It is, therefore, the one in the hem that is broken, the hem serving to retain the pieces, the marked match falling out as the handkerchief is shaken. A silk handkerchief with a narrow hemstitched border is the most convenient to use, for the reason that the broken match is the more readily removed and a fresh one inserted for future occasion.

The Cent and the Hole. In a piece of stout paper, cut a circle three-sixteenths of an inch less in diameter than a penny. Ask any one to pass a penny through the hole without touching the coin or tearing the paper. Fold the paper exactly across the centre of the hole, and then take it in both hands and ask some one to drop the penny into the fold. Let it rest just over the hole, its lower edge projecting below. Bend the corners of the paper slightly upwards. This elongates the opening, and if the movement be continued, the penny will after a second or two fall through by the force of its own weight. The paper remains uninjured.

Mysterious Reading. The performer takes a piece of paper about eight inches square and tears a strip about two inches wide off of each side, then tears these two strips in half. This gives four pieces of paper, each two inches wide and four inches long. Upon these pieces of paper, he requests different persons to write the names of persons who are dead. Taking the remaining piece of paper, he tears into two strips and each strip is torn in half. This again gives four pieces of paper, the same size as the other four. Upon these pieces of paper, the performer requests other persons to write the names of some living persons. The holders of the pieces of paper are now requested to fold them over twice and place them in a hat. The performer takes these pieces of paper from the hat, one at a time, and by simply holding them upon the top of his head, can tell whether the name is that of a live person or a dead person, making such remarks as cause it to seem the more mysterious.

To perform this, take any piece of writing paper, eight inches square, and tear off both outer edges (right and left) for the first two strips. These two pieces of paper have now one straight or smooth edge and one (the torn edge) rough edge. Remember this. On these pieces are to be written the names of the dead. When you feel them on top of your head, if they have a smooth edge and a rough edge it is of course the name of a dead person. The other piece of paper, when torn into two strips, has both edges rough, and upon these pieces are written the names of living persons. When you feel the paper on your head has no smooth edge, both edges being rough, it must contain the name of a living person.

The Baffling Card. Take an ordinary visiting card and bend down the ends at right angles to the card, about a quarter of an inch, then laying it on a smooth table, ends down, ask any person to blow it over. This seems easy enough, but it may be tried for hours without succeeding. It is, however, to be done by blowing sharply on the table at some distance from the card.

A Watch Trick. Ask a person to think of a number on the dial of a watch from one to twelve, but not to tell you what that number is. Then, with a pencil, you tap various numbers on the dial and he counts the tappings silently, beginning with the next number higher than the one of which he thought. That is, if he thought of the number five, he would count silently six, seven, eight, nine, etc., or if he thought of nine, for example, he would count to himself ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, etc., etc. When he has counted to the number “twenty” he must say, “Stop,” and your pencil, or whatever you are using to tap the watch, will be on the number of which he thought but did not tell you.

There is just one point about this trick for you to remember. When you tap the face of the watch with your pencil, you also count silently, beginning with one and counting to yourself, one, two, three, four, etc., etc. It does not matter what numbers you touch for the first seven, but the eighth tap must be on the figure twelve, and then go around the dial backward, the ninth tap on eleven, the tenth on ten, the eleventh on nine, etc., until you reach the one selected.

Silk From Paper. “I have three pieces of paper—red, white, and blue. I am going to burn them. I light them first. I find they burn better that way.”