By Kershaw Thomas
THIS little effect was thought out for two reasons. Firstly, in order to make an additional item for a children’s party given by the proprietor of a laundry and, secondly, gently to pull the leg of the aforesaid laundry proprietor over the matter of a few missing and ruined handkerchiefs.
It is as a children’s effect that I pass it on to my brother magicians in the hope that they will have as much success with it as I myself have had.
Effect. The magician first asks for the assistance of a little girl, preferably one who is do-
mesticated and who would like to know what goes on behind the walls of the local laundry. Having selected a suitable girl from the dozens who will no doubt rush forward, he pro- ceeds to make her at home by pinning on an apron and sitting her on a chair slightly to the left of his table (facing audience).
The performer explains that in order to demonstrate the workings of a laundry he must have something to laundeer, or launder, or whatever the word might be! He borrows a white handkerchief.
The handkerchief is then folded so that it eventually becomes about two to two and a half inches square. Demonstrating the method which mother herself would use, the magician sprinkles some water on the handkerchief, places it on his table, and picks up a formidable-looking flat-iron, with which he proceeds to iron the handkerchief.
As the magician rightly points out, anybody knows how to do that, but does everybody know how it is done at a laundry? He goes on to show various little pieces of modern laun- dry machinery, such as the machine for tearing off shirt buttons, the table-cover tearer, and the sock loser! Finally he shows the “handkerchief hole maker.” Simply an ordinary bodkin, but quite capable of doing its work. To prove his statements, performer pushes the bodkin through the handkerchief. Remarking that a handkerchief would only come back from the laundry in such a condition once, he proceeds to demonstrate the “hole enlarger,” which is used on the handkerchief on its second visit—in other words, a pair of scissors, but quite a good enough weapon for enlarging the hole from a small tear to one about an inch in diameter!
Performer then states that a very unfortunate thing happened to him when he last sent one of his handkerchiefs. The laundry closed down, but, worse still, before closing down they cut his handkerchief into small pieces. He proceeds to demonstrate this, again with the borrowed handkerchief.
Performer then seriously states that he’s afraid he cannot tell the audience very much about the modem laundry, at the same time handing the pieces of handkerchief back to the member of the audience.
It then occurs to him to carry on his story. He says that he doesn’t know what brought it to his mind, but he sent the tattered handkerchief to what is known as a Multiple Laundry, or, in other words, one large laundry, generally in London, and a large number of provincial laundries. He shows a model of a laundry on his table. The laundry is labelled LONDON—HEADQUARTERS, in front, in the best sign-writing style performer can do. The pieces of handkerchief are wrapped up in a piece of paper tied up with cotton and dan- gled in mid-air on a length of cotton. Unfortunately they dangle too near a lighted candle and the whole lot goes up with a flash, but mysteriously leaves an envelope addressed to the performer, dangling at the end of the cotton!
Performer opens envelope and reads a message to the effect that the handkerchief is at the Leeds Branch!
The London Branch is opened and is found to contain a smaller laundry labelled BIRMINGHAM. This in turn contains the MANCHESTER Branch. Opening this the HULL Branch is found, and in this is the LEEDS Branch. The Leeds Branch is taken across to the girl assistant, who opens it and finds inside the borrowed handkerchief, which is then returned to its owner none the worse for its adventures.
Method. Little description will be necessary, the apparatus being mainly old props in new
guise. The “Multiple Laundry,” for instance, will be easily recognised as the nest of boxes, but how many, even conjurers, will recognise the flatiron as an adaptation of the old “card table pedestal” which used to be so handy for changing a card.
Actually the iron has a sort of shallow lid which fits across its flat surface, the underside is polished tin, just the same as the actual iron, the upper side is covered with black velvet to match the tabletop.
In the cavity between the iron and the shell fake is the duplicate handkerchief.
When handkerchief is borrowed it is placed on table with one corner of it hanging into a black art well in which is the smallest “laundry,” with its top open. Performer slides iron about on tabletop finally, apparently sliding it over the handkerchief. What he actually does, however, is to knock the handkerchief into the well, and consequently into the open “laundry,” at the same time lifting up the iron and bringing into view the duplicate hand- kerchief. The shell from the iron effectually covers the well until it is required again. The duplicate is then picked up and with it the performer goes through the “business” of showing the various “cod” apparatus for tearing clothes, etc., used by the “modern” laun- dry.
Finally, he wraps the tattered handkerchief up in a piece of flash paper—actually pushing the handkerchief into a second well. The flash paper has the message in its envelope stuck between two thicknesses, and is threaded, not with cotton, as the performer states, but with fine black wire. Consequently, upon setting fire to the flash paper the wire does not burn, as would cotton, and the letter is left dangling in place of the flash paper parcel. The message is read and the nest of “laundries” produced. They are slowly taken from each other until performer comes to the Hull Branch. This he stands on his table and slides it to the centre, in this way sliding the shell covering off the black art well containing the Leeds laundry. The Hull laundry, of course, has no bottom and the performer simply puts his hand in from the top and pulls the Leeds laundry right out of the well. The borrowed hand- kerchief is, of course, then taken out of the Leeds laundry and handed back to its owner.