FAMILY FUN

New Zealand Tablet, 12 August 1909, Page 1278

FAMILY FUN

To Name a Card at any Position in the Pack. — Having become acquainted with the bottom card in the pack, you take the pack in your left hand, ; f ace downwards, between the thumb and fingers. Suppose the bottom card to be the ace of hearts. Under cover of the right hand, the right thumb draws back this card about half an inch. With the ends of the first and fingers you draw back the cards one at a time from the top of the pack, in view of the audience, about the same distance, requesting the company to tell you when to stop. The word being given, you draw off the upper cards with the fingers of the right hand, and the thumb draws off from under the ace of hearts', . which,, at once becomes the bottom card of those withdrawn the top. Holding them towards the audience, you say, ' This must be the ace of hearts.' . Replacing them on top, take a glance at the next bottom card, and repeat if desired.

The Affectionate Kings.—For the purpose of this trick you must pick out. the four kings, and exhibit them fanwise, concealing behind the third in order two other court cards of any description. Having shown them in a careless manner, square them together, and place them on the top of the pack. Then commence a more or less eloquent dissertation on the affectionate disposition of the four kings, and the pleasure "they take in each other's society, and which leads them always to "come together,- however widely they may be separated. By way of illustration, you take off the uppermost, shbwing it with apparent carelessness, and place it underneath the pack. Then take off the secoad card, which the spectators suppose to be a king also, an.l introduce it into the pack about halfway down. Place the next card a little higher up, and, after showing the fourth, which again is really a king, replace it on the top. Request the company to. observe that the kings are now as far apart as they well can be; that one is at the top, ono at the bottom, and the other two in different parts of the pack (the fact being that there are three at the top and one at the , bottom). Invite some one to cut, and proceed to deal the cards one by one face upwards; when the kings will be found to appear together, in accordance with your preliminary observations. This trick, though performed by such simple means, generally gains for the performer the credit of, having executed some wholly impossible piece of Sleight-of-hand. wmmmmmm mmmmmmt »' '