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one point gently through the handkerchief, you easily draw out the remainder; being 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 middle of the handkerchief, and desiring the person who holds the hat, to take it away, you exhibit the ring (placed as described) to the company; taking an opportunity, while their attention is engaged, to conceal or get rid of the brass ring.

THE KNOTTED HANDKERCHIEF.

This feat consists in tying a number of hard knots in a pockethandkerchief borrowed from one of the company, then letting any person hold the knots, and by the operator merely shaking the handkerchief, all the knots become unloosed, and the handkerchief is restored to its original state.

To perform this excellent trick, get as soft a handkerchief as possible, and taking the opposite ends, one in each hand, throw the right hand over the left, and draw it through, as if you were going to tie a knot in the usual way. Again throw the right-hand end over the left, and give the left-hand end to some person to pull, you at the same time pulling the right-hand end, with your right hand, while your left hand holds the handkerchief just behind the knot. Press the thumb of your left hand against the knot to prevent its slipping, always taking care to let the person to whom you gave one end pull first, so that, in fact, he is only pulling against your left hand.

As

You now tie another knot exactly in the same way as the first, taking care always to throw the right-hand end over the left. you go on tying the knots, you will find the right-hand end of the handkerchief decreasing considerably in length, while the left-hand

one remains nearly as long as at first; because, in fact, you are merely tying the right-hand end round the left. To prevent this from being noticed, you should stoop down a little after each knot, and pretend to pull the knots tighter; while, at the same time, you press the thumb of the right hand against the knot, and with the fingers and palm of the same hand, draw the handkerchief, so as to make the left-hand end shorter, keeping it at each knot as nearly the length of the right-hand end as possible.

When you have tied as many knots as the handkerchief will admit of, hand them round for the company to feel that they are firm knots; then hold the handkerchief in your right hand, just below the knots, and with the left hand turn the loose part of the centre of the handkerchief over them, desiring some person to hold them. Before they take the handkerchief in hand, you draw out the right-hand end of the handkerchief, which you have in the right hand, and which you may easily do, and the knots being still held together by the loose part of the handkerchief, the person who holds the handkerchief will declare he feels them: you then take hold of one of the ends of the handkerchief which hangs down, and desire him to repeat after you, one-two-three,— then tell him to let go, when, by giving the handkerchief a smart shake, the whole of the knots will become unloosed.

Should you, by accident, whilst tying the knots, give the wrong end to be pulled, a hard knot will be the consequence, and you will know when this has happened the instant you try to draw the left-hand end of the handkerchief shorter. You must, therefore, turn this mistake to the best advantage, by asking any one of the company to see how long it will take him to untie one knot, you counting the seconds. When he has untied the knot, your other knots will remain right as they were before. Having finished tying the knots, let the same person hold them, and tell

him that as he took two minutes to untie one knot, he ought to allow you fourteen minutes to untie the seven; but as you do not wish to take any advantage, you will be satisfied with fourteen seconds.

You may excite some laughter during the performance of this trick, by desiring those who pull the knots along with you, to pull as hard as they please, and not to be afraid, as the handkerchief is not yours; you may likewise go to the owner of the handkerchief, and desire him to assist you in pulling a knot, saying, that if the handkerchief is to be torn, it is only right that he should have a share of it; you may likewise say that he does not pull very hard, which will cause a laugh against him.

THE INVISIBLE SPRINGS.

Take two pieces of white cotton cord, precisely alike in length; double each of them separately, so that their ends meet; then tie them together very neatly, with a bit of fine cotton thread, at the part where they double (i. e. the middle). This must all be done beforehand.

When you are about to exhibit the trick, hand round two other pieces of cord, exactly similar in length and appearance to those which you have prepared, but not tied, and desire your company to examine them. You then return to your table, placing these cords at the edge, so that they fall (apparently accidentally) to the ground, behind the table; stoop to pick them up, but take up the prepared ones instead, which you have previously placed there, and lay them on the table.

Having proceeded thus far, you take round for examination three ivory rings; those given to children when teething, and which may be bought at any of the toyshops, are the best for your

purpose. When the rings have undergone a sufficient scrutiny, pass the prepared double cords through them, and give the two ends of one cord to one person to hold, and the two ends of the other to another. Do not let them pull hard, or the thread will break, and your trick be discovered. Request the two persons to approach each other, and desire each to give you one end of the cord which he holds, leaving to him the choice. You then say, that, to make all fast, you will tie these two ends together, which you do, bringing the knot down so as to touch the rings; and returning to each person the end of the cord next to him, you state that this trick is performed by the rule of contrary, and that when you desire them to pull hard, they are to slacken, and vice versá, which is likely to create much laughter, as they are certain of making many mistakes at first.

During this time, you are holding the rings on the fore-finger of each hand, and with the other fingers preventing your assistants from separating the cords prematurely, during their mistakes; you at length desire them, in a loud voice, to slacken, when they will pull hard, which will break the thread, the rings remaining in your hands, whilst the strings will remain unbroken: let them be again examined, and desire them to look for the springs in the rings.

THE MIRACULOUS APPLE.

To divide an apple into several parts, without breaking the rind-Pass a needle and thread under the rind of the apple, which is easily done by putting the needle in again at the same hole it came out of; and so passing on till you have gone round the apple. Then take both ends of the thread in your hands and draw it out; by which means the apple will be divided into two parts. In the same manner, you may divide it into as many parts as you

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please, and yet the rind will remain entire.

Present the apple to

any one to peel, and it will immediately fall to pieces.

THE SELF-BALANCED PAIL.

You lay a stick across the table, letting one-third of it project over the edge; and you undertake to hang a pail of water on it, without either fastening the stick on the table, or letting the pail rest on any support; and this feat, the laws of gravitation will enable you literally to accomplish.

You take the pail of water, and hang it by the handle upon

the projecting end of the stick, in such a manner that the handle may

rest on it in an inclined position,

with the middle of the pail within the edge of the table. That it may be fixed in this situation, place

another stick with one of its ends resting against the side at the bottom of the pail, and its other end against the first stick, where there should be a notch to retain it. By these means, the pail will remain fixed in that situation, without being able to incline to either side; nor can the stick slide along the table, or move along its edge, without raising the centre of gravity of the pail, and the water it contains.

THE PHANTOM AT COMMAND.

This feat is performed by means of confederacy.-Having privately apprized your confederate that when he hears you strike one blow, it signifies the letter A; when you strike two, it means B; and so on for the rest of the alphabet, you state to the company, that if any one will walk into the adjoining room, and have the

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