Eatable Candle-Ends.
Take a large apple and cut out a few pieces in the shape of candle-ends, round at the bottom and flat at the top, in fact, as much like a piece of candle as possible. Now cut some slips from a sweet almond, as near as you can to resemble a wick, and stick them into the imitation candles. Light them for an instant to make the tops black, blow them out, and they are ready for the trick. One or two should be artfully placed in a snuffer-tray, or candlestick; you then inform your friends that during your “travels in the Russian Empire,” you learned, like the Russians, to be fond of candles; at the same time lighting your artificial candles (the almonds will readily take fire and flame for a few seconds), pop them into your mouth, and swallow them one after the other.