THE WAITER AND THE TENCENT PIECE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 566, 10 May 1913, Page 2

THE WAITER AND THE TENCENT PIECE.

'A CONJURING STORY. I have been very nearly a victim oal some occasions in restaurants or bare which I have visited during my travels, and have been forced to practice a little conjuring in selfdefence. Whilst playing an engagement at the Folies Marigny, in Paris/ I visited one of the best-known restaurants in the Gay City. I was with friends and feeling good, and the waiter evidently mistook me for a foolish millionaire.

For instance, we selected the various dishes we required from the bill-of-fare, when I noticed that the one to which I had first referred, with prices on, had disappeared, and in its place had been substituted one without prices—a trick the method of which I did not at that moment detect. But, not satisfied with this, they played another trick on me. I called for a bottle of wine. There were five in our party, and each one was served with a glass. The waiter emptied the bottk into four glasses, and of course we were compelled to order another bottle for our fifth guest. Looking at the size of the glasses, I again recognised a trick performed by a non-conjurer.

Greatly amused, and still wondering how I could get even, I called for my second bill, which was—Wine 40 francs ; couvert (or use of serviettes), 5 francs ; ice, 2 francs ; making a total of 47 francs. Reasonable, wasn't it, for the last two items ?

This was after the supper. I gav« the waiter a 100-franc note, and this is what I was offered for change: a 20 franc gold piece, three 10-franc gold pieces, a 2-franc piece, and a 1-franc piece. But one 10-franc piece was placed under the 2-franc piece. Of course, the waiter anticipated that I would leave the small change for him, and then he would retain the 10-franc piece which was placed under the 2-franc piece ; but as I am always in the habit of counting my change before touclunc: it, I again saw another trick, and I made up my mind to have my revenge there and then.

I informed the waiter he was ten francs short. Naturally he did not want to disclose the whereabouts of the 10-franc piece, so he handed me the missing amount, and I picked up the money, leaving the three francs in silver for his tip.

I had conjured the 10-frana piece from under the 2-franc piece without his slightest suspicion, and,' he was horrified as he looked under the silver, found nothing there, and realised the predicament he was in—ten francs out of pocket, and could not say anything !

Of course, I wu ten fsancs in, aad my revenge was complete ; but, as I did not wish to keep his money,- I informed him that we were very pleased with his services, especially with his honesty, and therefore I wished to make him a present of ten francs extra. Handing him the money, it again disappeared, and I [ound it in his pocket.

I then showed him how I could make twenty francs out of ten francs and, handing, him the money, T. requested him to close his hand quickly. On opening it he found a brass 2oin, when his eyes nearly stood out of his head.

He was then told that I was the conjurer who mystified hundreds nightly at the Folies Marigny, and that for once he had tried his game on the wrong man.—Horace Goldwin, in the "Pall Malf Magazine."