Read Ebook: Book of parlor tricks: How to perform them by Anonymous

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Ebook has 63 lines and 6436 words, and 2 pages

The Columbus Egg Trick.

To make an egg stand on one end on any polished surface seems very extraordinary, yet it can be done, even on a looking-glass. Now, from the form of an egg, nothing is more liable to roll, and on nothing more so than on a looking-glass. To accomplish this trick, let the performer take an egg in his hand, and while he keeps talking and staring in the face of his audience give it two or three hearty shakes; this will break the yolk, which will sink to one end, and consequently make it more heavy, by which when it is settled you may make it, with a steady hand, stand upon the glass; this would be impossible while it continued in its proper state.

The Ring and the Handkerchief.

Previously provide yourself with a piece of brass wire pointed at both ends, and bent round so as to form a ring about the size of a wedding-ring, which conceal in your hand; then commence your performance by borrowing from a gentleman a silk pocket-handkerchief, and from a lady a wedding-ring; request some person to hold two of the corners of the handkerchief, and another to hold the other two, keeping them at full stretch. You next exhibit the wedding-ring to the company, and announce to them that you will make it pass through the handkerchief. Then place your hand under the handkerchief, and substituting the false ring which you have previously concealed, press it against the centre of the handkerchief, and desire a third person to take hold of the ring through the handkerchief, and to close his finger and thumb through the middle of the ring. Hold the handkerchief in this manner to show that the ring has not been placed within a fold. Now desire the persons holding the corners of the handkerchief to let go, the person holding the ring still retaining his hold. Let another person now grasp the handkerchief as tight as he pleases three or four inches below the ring, and tell the person holding the ring to let it go, when it will be quite evident to the company that the ring is secure within the centre of the handkerchief. Then request the person who grasps the handkerchief to hold a hat over it, pass your hand underneath and open the false ring, by bending one of its points a little aside, and bring one point gently through the handkerchief, the remainder may easily be drawn out,--be careful to rub the hole you have made in the handkerchief with your finger and thumb to conceal the fracture. You then put the wedding-ring you borrowed over the outside of the handkerchief, and desiring the person who holds the hat to take it away, exhibit the ring to the company, and while their attention is engaged, taking the opportunity of concealing, or getting rid of the brass ring.

The Smashed Watch.

You request some one of the company to lend you a watch, and put it immediately into a mortar; a few moments afterward you cause it to be pounded, by another person, with a pestle; you exhibit the wheels, face, mainspring, and drum barrel broken and smashed; and finally, after a few minutes, you return the watch, whole and safe, to the proprietor, who recognizes it.

After all that we have said, it will easily be perceived that the mortar must be placed near the trap in the table of which we spoke in the last trick, and covered with a napkin, in order that the confederate may substitute another watch.

To produce a complete illusion in this case, you must take care to put in the mortar a second watch, the hands, works, and case of which should, in some degree, resemble those of the borrowed one. And this is by no means difficult; for you can either have an understanding with the person lending the watch, or you may manage to ask the loan of some one whom you have seen elsewhere, and whose watch you may have had an opportunity of examining shortly before, with a view of procuring a similar one.

After replacing the fragments in the mortar, cover them a second time with the napkin, and amuse the company with a riddle or conundrum, or by some other tricks, to give your partner time to collect all the bits, and replace the perfect watch in the mortar.

The Magic Stick.

Transcriber's Notes:

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

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