Fig. 53.Fig. 54.
Fig. 53.Fig. 54.
The reader will, no doubt, already have conjectured that the card drawn is a forced one, and that the supposed restored card was concealed beforehand under the false bottom of the card-box. This pretended restored card is, in reality, an ingenious though simple piece of apparatus, constructed as follows:—A piece of tin is cut to the exact size and shape of a card; out of this, at one of the corners, is cut an oblong piece, measuring about one inch by five-eighths. This piece is attached by a spring hinge,a a, on one side of it, to the larger piece of tin, in such manner that it can be folded back (seeFig. 54) flat against it; the action of the spring, however, bringing it back again, when released, to its original position. To this piece oftin is soldered lengthways a narrow tail-piece, of such a length as to extend nearly to the opposite end of the larger piece of tin. This tail-piece forms a kind of handle wherewith to bend back the smaller piece of tin on its hinge, and at the same time acts as a check to prevent the action of the spring pressing the smaller piece beyond the plane of the larger one. A playing card is split in two in order to reduce its thickness, and the face of the card thus reduced is pasted on the front of the larger piece of tin. Previously, however, a piece, somewhat smaller than the little moveable flap, is torn out of one corner, and pasted on the flap in such a manner that, when the latter is released, the torn piece will occupy its proper position with respect to the remainder of the card, which will thus appear complete. When, however, the moveable flap is folded back, and so held by the pressure of the forefinger upon the tail-piece, the torn portion of the card will be folded back with it, as inFig. 54. When the mechanical card is placed in the box, it should be thus folded back, and kept in position by a little bit of thin wire, half an inch long, and bent into a miniature staple or clip, which, slipped over the end of the tail-piece and the adjoining edge of tin, will effectually hold the flap back, and yet may be got rid of in an instant, when the forefinger is ready to take its place. You must take care so to place the card in the box as to be face uppermost when the box is opened, as the audience must not, of course, see the back. When you desire to make the card complete, you have only to slip aside the forefinger, and thus release the moveable flap.
There are torn cards now made entirely of pasteboard, dispensing with the tin plate at the back. This is a decided improvement.
As to the disappearance of the loose corner from your hand, you will find little difficulty when you have learnt the art of coin-palming, to be hereafter explained. Assuming that you have at present no knowledge on this subject, you may proceed as follows:—Take the bit of card between the forefinger and thumb of your right hand, and as you make the motion of throwing it towards the mechanical card, push it with the ball of the thumb between the first or second joints of the first and middle fingers. This releases the thumb, and the inside of your hand being turned away from your audience, you run little risk of discovery, particularly as the same piece, apparently, is now seen in its proper place as part of the restored card.
We must not omit to mention that there is a mode of performing the “torn card” trick in which the use of the mechanical card is dispensed with. In this case the performer secretly takes an ordinary card, say the knave of spades, and tears off one corner, which he carefully preserves. The card thus mutilated he places in a card-box, or other similar piece of apparatus. Pack in hand, he advances to the company, and “forces” the knave of spades, having, meanwhile, the little corner piece of the concealed card hidden between the second and third fingers of his right hand. The card having been drawn, he requests the drawer to tear it up, and place the pieces on a plate, which he hands him for that purpose. Having received the pieces, he says carelessly, “You had better keep one piece for the purpose of identification;” and, so saying, hands him apparently one of the fragments of the card just torn, but really the concealed corner piece, which he drops from his hand on the plate for that purpose in the very act of picking up. The trick then proceeds as already described up to the finding of the card partially restored, in which condition it is handed to the drawer, and its identity proved by showing that the torn edge exactly corresponds with the corner retained. The trick may either end here, or, by using a second card-box, card-tripod, or the like, the card and corner may be again changed for a complete card.
Mechanical Changing Cards.—These are of two or three kinds, but all have the same object—viz., the apparent transformation of the card to a different one. In some cases the change is from a court card of one suit to the same card of another suit—e.g., a king of spades to a king of hearts, involving merely the alteration of the pip in the corner. This is effected by having the card made double, that portion of the front card on which the pip should be being cut out. The hindmost card, which is pasted only round the extreme edge to the front one, is a plain white card, but with the appropriate pip, say a spade, neatly painted in the proper position, to allow of its showing through the opening in the front card, which thus has the appearance of an ordinary king of spades. Between the two cards is a moveable slip, worked by a pin through a slip in the back, on which is painted a heart pip. By moving this slip, the heart is inturn brought opposite the opening, covering the spade pip, so that the card now appears to be the king of hearts. The card as above described is of the old single-headed pattern, but the same principle may be applied to double-headed cards. In this case both of the “pip” portions of the front card are cut away as inFig. 55, while on the upper corresponding portion of the hinder card is painted (say) a spade, and on the lower a heart, as inFig. 56. The moveable slip is of such a shape and size as to cover the one or the other, according as it is drawn up or down; and on the upper part of this (seeFig. 57) is painted a heart, and on the lower a spade. When, therefore, the slip is pushedup, the heart pip on the slip and the heart pip on the hindmost card are shown, so that the card appears to be a king of hearts. When, on the other hand, the slip is drawndown, the spade pip of the hinder card is revealed, and at the same time the slip covers over the heart pip of this latter, and exhibits its own spade pip, giving the card the appearance of a king of spades.
Fig. 55.Fig. 56.Fig. 57.
Fig. 55.Fig. 56.Fig. 57.
These mechanical cards are used in various ways. Such a card may be introduced with good effect in the trick of the “rising cards,” before described. The king of spades, we will suppose, is one of the cards drawn. The changing card is made one of those which rise from the pack, but is so arranged as to appear as the king of hearts. When the king of spades is called for, this card rises. The performer feigns to be taken by surprise, and asks the person who drew the card whether he is sure he is not mistaken, and that the card he drew was not the king of hearts. The drawer naturally maintains the correctness of his own recollection, while the performer as stoutly insists that the cards never deceive him, and that, if the king of spades had been drawn, the king of spades would infallibly have risen when called. At last, as if tired of the dispute, he says, “Well, I still maintain you were mistaken; but as you insist thatyour card was the king of spades, why, we will make this into a king of spades.” So saying, and holding up the card between his middle finger and thumb, he touches its face with his wand, and at the same moment with the first finger moves the slide, when the card changes to the king of spades. The little dispute as to the supposed mistake, which the audience have hitherto believed to be genuine, gives to the transformation an impromptu air which is very effective. The performer may go on to say, still holding up the card, “You are quite satisfied now, I presume.” The drawer assents. “Then if so, as it would spoil my pack to havetwokings of spades in it, you will allow me, before proceeding further, to change the card back again. Change!” Again he touches the card with his wand, and it is seen to change back again to the king of hearts.
Another mode of using the mechanical card is in conjunction with the changing card-boxes, above described. In this case the changing cards are used in pairs. One of them, arranged as the king of spades, is secretly placed in the one box, and the other, arranged as the king of hearts, in the other. Two of the spectators are requested each to draw a card, and two genuine kings of the same respective suits are forced upon them. Taking the cards so drawn, and showing the card boxes apparently empty, the performer places one of the cards in each, taking care to place the king of hearts in the box containing the ostensible king of spades, andvice versâ. He now commands the two cards to change places, and, opening the boxes, shows that his commands are obeyed. He then remarks, “Now, I dare say you all think that the trick depends on the boxes. To show you that it is not so, I will again order the cards to change; and this time I will not place them in the boxes, but will merely take one in each hand, so. If your eyes are quick enough, you will see the cards fly across from the one hand to the other. Observe, the king of spades is in my right hand, and the king of hearts in my left. One, two, three—Change!” (with a stamp and a slight flourish of the cards). “Did you see them fly? Here is the king of hearts in my right hand, and the king of spades has passed to my left. I will put them in the boxes once more.” You put each in the box which it before occupied, in doing so again making the change, but without closing the boxes. You continue, “Please to notice whichI put in each box—the king of hearts in the right hand box, and the king of spades in the left hand box. Is that right?” The audience reply in the affirmative. “Excuse me,” you say, “I fear you are mistaken. You did not notice, perhaps, that the cards had changed again.” You show that this is so, and then close the boxes so as to bring the cards originally drawn uppermost. Opening them once more, you show that the cards have again changed, and then remark, “I have shown you that the secret does not lie in the boxes, perhaps you would like to satisfy yourselves that there is no preparation about the cards,” which you accordingly hand for examination.
Fig. 58.
Fig. 58.
Another form of changing card is known as a “flap card.” This is a card across whose centre is fixed a moveable flap of exactly half its size. When the flap is folded one way, it covers the upper half, and when it is folded the other way the lower half of the card, in each case revealing a different surface. (SeeFig. 58.) On one of such surfaces is pasted, say, a queen of clubs (made thin by peeling off the back), and on the other surface, say, a nine of diamonds, prepared in like manner. Thus the card will appear, according as the flap is folded, alternately a queen of clubs or nine of diamonds. An india-rubber spring tends to draw the flap down, so that the normal condition of the card is to appear as, say, the nine of diamonds. When exhibited to the company, the flap is forced over in the opposite direction, so that the card appears to be the queen of clubs. The thumb and finger hold the flap down until the right moment, when they relax their pressure, and the flap flying up, the card is instantly transformed to the nine of diamonds.