[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
watch spring, working between two little staples or bands, BB, Fig. 76, made fast to the fan. Atta-
ched to the lower long arm of the lazytongs is a short piece of cord that runs over a tiny pulley,
and is fastened to a spring rod working in the hollow handle of the fan. A small stud, attached to
this rod, projects through a slot in the handle. A slight movement of the stud raises or lowers the
watch spring by opening or closing the lazytongs. The end of the watch spring which inclines
forward has two sharp points that go through openings in the fan, and pressing against the back
card in the pack, pushes it up or down at the will of the performer. The selected cards are, of
course, all at the back of the pack. The lazytongs will move up about four inches to every quarter
of an inch movement of the stud.
33
Magician's Tricks: How They are Done
The Seven Heap
THE four sevens are sorted out of a pack and placed in a heap on the table. Then seven indiffe-
rent cards are placed in a second heap alongside the first, and some one is asked to come forward
and assist the performer.
Looking the man earnestly in the eyes for a moment, the conjurer writes on a slip of paper: "You
will select the seven heap". This is folded and handed to the assistant with the request that he put
it in his pocket. He is then asked to select one of the heaps of cards. When this is done he is reques-
ted to read what is written on the paper. When he has done so, he is told to turn over the heap. No
matter which heap is selected the prediction is verified. Should it be the heap with the four sevens,
the conjurer turns over the other heap with the remark, "You see these are all different cards". On
the other hand should the heap of seven cards be selected, the performer merely counts them out
one by one, without showing the faces of the other heap, merely spreading the cards apart to pro-
ve that there are only four cards there.
The Sympathetic Kings and Queens
THE performer hands out an ordinary pack of cards with the request that some one will pick out
the kings and queens and lay them, faces upward. When this is done the performer arranges them in
four pairs, a king and queen in each. These pairs are now arranged one over another in one packet,
which is laid, faces down this time, on the table. Several persons are asked to cut the cards (not to
shuffle them, remember), so as, apparently, to disarrange their order. Declaring that his sense of
touch is so delicate that without seeing the cards he can separate the kings from the queens, the per-
former puts the packet behind his back, and, almost immediately bringing his hands in front shows
that in one hand he has the kings and in the other, the queens, which he throws on the table.
"Now", says this wonderful man", by this same acute sense of touch I shall reunite the separa-
ted pairs".
Picking up the kings he places the queens on top of them, or vice versa. This packet he lays on
the table, as in the first instance, faces downward, and again has them cut by different persons, un-
til kings and queens seem to be hopelessly mixed. Once more putting his hands at his back, he pro-
duces the cards two at a time, laying each pair, faces downward on the table, and when, at his re-
quest, they are turned up, it is found that each king has the queen of his suit for a companion.
And now for the secret of this marvel: When, in the first part of the trick, he puts the cards behind
his back, he takes in one hand the first, third, fifth, and seventh cards, counting from either the top or
the bottom, and in the other the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth cards. When they are brought to
the front all of one kind will be found in one hand, and all of the other in the other hand.
When the performer picks them up again for the second part of the trick he apparently takes them
at random. In fact, however, he takes them in the old SHow CoDe order*, the kings first and on top of
them the queens. When, with their faces downward, he has them cut several times, and has put the
packet behind him, he divides it in two equal parts. Then he takes the top or bottom card of each part
and lays these two cards, faces down, on the table. This he repeats until four pairs are on the table, and
when they are turned up they will be found in proper order, each king with a queen of his own suit.
Should the performer be proficient in making a false shuffle he may introduce it with good
effect in the course of the trick.
Correcting a Mistake
THE pack is handed out to be shuffled and some one is asked to select a card and without looking
at it to lay it on the table, face down, and place something on it. A second person is then asked to se-
lect three cards, at random, and without looking at them to place them also on the table.
Now the performer declares that by virtue of a certain hypnotic power he possesses, he has caused
the two persons to select four cards of the same value. To prove the truth of this the three cards last
*
The two words SHow CoDe are a memory aid for the order of the suits. Taking the consonants in capital letters in
the two words SH CD, you have Spades, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds. This is the order in which the cards are taken.
See also: The Prearranged Pack.
34
Magic with Cards - Card Tricks
chosen are turned over and are found to be of the same spot value, but when the first card is turned up,
it proves to be, to the great humiliation of the performer, of an entirely different value. "Ah", cries the
embarrassed conjurer, "I remember now, that the moon is in a different quarter from what I thought it
to be. However, that can be remedied, and I stall yet do what I set out to do. Please turn the three cards
down once more. I shall now simply wave my hands over the cards and mentally repeat the mystic for-
mula. Be good enough to turn the cards face up again. I knew I could do it!" To the surprise of the au-
dience, the cards are seen to be of the same value as that of the card first chosen.
Clever as this trick is, it is very simple. At the start the pack is arranged with an ace on top; immedia-
tely under it are three queens, and under these are the other three aces. To begin, the performer makes
the "pass", so as to bring the top cards to about the middle of the pack, and forces the first ace. Again
making the "pass" he brings the pack again to its original arrangement. The ace is laid on the table and
covered with something. On his way to the second person the conjurer palms at least six cards from the
top of the pack. The second person now draws three cards, without looking at them, and places them
on top of the pack. When the pack is returned to the performer he lays the palmed cards secretly on top
of the pack. A third person is now requested to take the pack and lay the three top cards, supposed to
be those that were selected, faces downward, in a row on the table. Carelessly taking the pack in his left
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]