" c A f c K B M e f O R C M T "
B Y
J E A N H U G A R D
Published by M A X H O L D E N 220 W. 42nd St., New York City
Coprighted 1937 by Max Holden S Y D N E Y WILL A N D R A D E M E L B O U R N E
"SILKEN SORCERY"
CONTENTSPage
Chapter I. Methods of Folding Silks for Production 3 " II. Sleights for Manipulating Silks Without
Accessories 8 " III. Methods for Producing a Single Silk 11
IV. The Production of a Number of Silks 23 " V. Various Methods of Vanishing Silks 29
VI. Dyeing the Silks 36 VII. Twentieth Century Silk 42
" VIII. Useful Accessories 46 " IX. Liaison Tricks 50
X. Tricks with Silks 51 " XI. Ties and Flourishes 62
XII. The Stillwell Silk Act 79 Patter Suggestions 82 Final Suggestions 83
The State Library of Victoria "ALMA CONJURING COLLECTION"
SILKEN SORCERY
(SILK 'N SORCERY)
INTRODUCTION
The use of handkerchiefs in conjuring probably dates as far back as the introduction of these articles to popular use, but the old-time magicians used them only as accessories, for instance to cover some smali object, such as a coin, or egg, which was to be made to disappear, or to cover a piece of apparatus, sucli as a cage in which another object was to appear. Robert Houdin, however, mentions several tricks with handkerchiefs, The Vanishing Handkerchief (by means of a pull up the sleeve, the earliest description of this useful gimmick), The Handkerchief from which Sweets and Gifts to his audience were produced, The Handkerchief Burnt and Restored, and one or two others. The use of silks to make complete tricks in themselves must be accredited to Buatier de Kolta. Thanks to his inventive genius and the expansion of his methods by modern con-jurors, the use of silks lias become a well defined branch of the Magic Art. The subject has been treated in part in various books and mag-azine articles but no book has as yet appeared giving an exhaustive survey of the subject. I propose in these pages to describe, as far as possible, all the sleights and tricks with silks that have been evolved up to the present time. For convenience for reference the subject will be divided into various sections—Methods of Folding Silks, Pro-ductions, Vanishes, Color Changes, and so on.
CHAPTER I
METHODS OF FOLDING SILKS FOR PRODUCTION 1. A Single Silk
a. Spread the silk flat on the table and fold two diagonal cor-ners to the middle; fold these doubled portions in half again and
con-tinue the operation until a roll, or band, is obtained about 1 y2 ins.
in width.
Fold about two inches of tlie right hand end over to the left, on the rest of the silk, and turn its tip upwards at right angles. Roll the silk, beginning at this folded end, right up to the left end, and tuck this into the folds on the side opposite to the protruding corner. A silk, thus balled, may with a little care be manipulated after the manner of a billiard ball with perfect safety, yet, by gripping the projecting corner and giving the silk a quick shake, it will develop to its full extent instantly.
The projecting corner can also be gripped between the middle and third fingers, thus allowing the silk to be finger-palmed, either at the front or the back of the hand.
b. Fold the four corners to the middle; do the same with the new square thus obtained; repeat this a third and a fourth time. A compact little bundle is thus obtained. To hold it ready for pro-duction, procecd thus: Thread a needle with about four inches of thread and tie the ends together making the knot as large as possible. Pass the needle through the vest from front to back about three inches above its lower edge. Lift the edge of the vest and push the needle into the bundle in such a way that the folds are held together. A silk thus prepared may be placed on the right or left side of the vest and to secure it, the hand, falling naturally to the side, will have to merely bend the fingers under the vest, grip the silk and draw it away, the needle, of course, offering no resistance, being held back by the short thread. The silk is then palmed ready for production as required.
c. Fold three corners only to the middle of the silk as in Fig. 1. Fold the sides AB and CD till they meet in the middle making a band. Roll this very tightly, beginning at the end opposite to E, keeping the
folds inside the roll. Secure this under the vest as in a. with needle and thread.
fl 8
d. The Accordeon Fold. To avoid the use of a pin or needle and to obtain a very quick development of the silk when required,
make a fold about l1/? in. in width along one of the sides; turn the
silk over and make another fold of the same size, thus making it of double thickness; turn the silk again and repeat in the same way until the whole silk has been folded. Repeat this accordeon fold along the length of the band thus obtained, the final result being a square bundle. Tie this round with a weak thread, or, if preferred, pass a band of tissue paper, of the same color, round it and gum the ends together. This band can be broken at will by the fingers and then crumpled up and allowed to fall unnoticed to the floor. This method of pleating should always be used for very large silks or flags.
e. A Quick Fold — The Finger Roll. Take a corner of the silk between the left first finger and thumb, letting about an inch of the silk project over the finger tip upwards; wind it tightly round the
finger until the other end is readied. Slip the little bundle oft" the finger and tuck this end in the folds on the side opposite tlie pro-jecting corner.
If it is desired to make the bundle very small use a hairpin. Put one corner of the silk through at the top and pull it upwards about an inch, then wind the rest tightly round the hairpin. With good quality silk it is surprising into liow small a ball a fairly large silk may be rolled by this plan.
f. The Trap Fold. This fold is necessary when a silk is to be pushed through a trap, or upwards into a bottomless tumbler.
Spread the silk out flat and fold the corners inward to the middle; repeat the operation until a parcel is obtained of the size required. The silk should be loaded with the corners outwards.
g. The Rose Fold. By this method a silk can be folded to so
closely resemble a rose that it may be fastened to a plant amongst real roses without the deception being detected. It may be plucked and then changed to a rose with charming effect.
Fold the silk from two diagonally opposite corners into a strip about two inches wide and some fifteen inches in length. Wind it round carefully to resemble a half-blown rose and fasten the folds with a pin. Fig. 2.
a. Fold each silk diagonally as explained above (Method a) for a single silk, place them all one on the other and turn the right hand ends over inward together. Roll them all from these folded ends into a tight ball and tuck the loose ends into a fold in the same way as with a single silk.
To develop the silks palm the bundle in the left hand, the pro-jecting corners downward; pull these out with the right thumb and forefinger. The effect of the brightly colored silks thus issuing from the hand is very pretty.
b. The Star Fold. First fold each silk in half from one corner to the corner diagonally opposite, then lay them across one another to form a star as in Fig. 3, which shows four silks folded and placed star fashion. Fold the ends in to the middle, beginning with the lowest silk and continuing with the next in order. Continue thus folding inwards to the middle until a compact bundle is obtained; tie this with a weak thread, or push into a hollow ball, ends first.
This method should be used when it is desired to produce a bunch of silks all at once. When gripped by the side opposite the ends and shaken out, they expand at once, making an effective display.
c. Folding for Production Singly. Spread one silk out flat. Place a second on it and fold its corners to the middle, making a smaller square, then fold the corners of this smaller square in to the center in the same way. Fold a third silk on lop of the second in the same way and continue in the same way for as many silks as are to be produced.
Turn the corners of all the folded silks together towards the middle and turn the resulting parcel over on the first silk which has remained spread out. Fold this around the bundle and fasten the last corner with a pin.
When the load has been placed in position for production, from a hat, for example, remove the pin, unfold the covering silk, and the centers of the other silks are ready to be taken hold of. By giving each silk a gentle shake as it is produced a very pretty production will be made.
e. The Stickland Roll. This clever method is the invention of Wm. G. Stickland, the English conjuror. For a description of the use he makes of it to produce a large number of silks, culminating in the appearance of a huge rainbow foulard, I must refer the reader
to his book, "Interesting Tricks", published by the author and ob-tainable from the magic dealers.
Take two silks 15 in. square and one 18 in. of different colors. Tie the two smaller ones together by two corners with a square knot, upset this and draw it fairly tight. They will hold together but can be drawn apart easily. Lay these on the table stretched out. Fold each with the diagonal corners to the middle and continue to fold
tlrem until they form a band of about 1 y2 in. wide, the knot being
between them. Roll up each silk separately from the free end to-wards the knot as tightly as possible. Fold the larger silk in the same way and wind one end once round the two silks, then roll this silk up tightly in a ball, bringing it against the other two. The result-ing bundle may be secured with a weak thread, or better, with a narrow band of tissue paper of same color as one of the silks. Fig. 1. The production is made by getting the. bundle into the right hand, breaking thread or band, and throwing out one of the smaller silks, allowing it to unroll from the finger tips. This is taken by the ieft hand, the upsetting of the knot allowing this to be done freely. The right hand at once produces the second silk, which is also taken in the left hand and the third silk follows. Tlie production is made smoothly and without haste, the right hand being held well away from the body throughout.
By using half silks, apparently much larger silks can be produced. d. The Zigzag Method. This method is also very effective for the production of silks from a load, singly.
Lay the first flat on tlie table, on it and square with it, lay tlie second so that it overlaps halfway across the center of the first. Fold the top edge of No. 1 over No. 2 until it is even with its own bottom edge. Lay a third silk on these two, but overlapping on the opposite side and on it fold No. 2 in half. Continue in the same way with all the rest. By lifting off the top silk the next is ready for production in its turn.
CHAPTER II
SLEIGHTS FOR MANIPULATING SILKS WITHOUT ACCESSORIES
a. The End Roll Palm. To palm a silk it is necessary to con-vert it into a compact ball. Take it by one corner between the tips of the right finger and thumb. Turn to the right and raise the left hand about breast high, holding it vertically. Throw the silk over the back of the left hand, drawing the corner between the thumb and finger. Twist this corner round several times with the right thumb and forefinger and place it on the middle of the left palm. At once put the right palm tightly on the left and make a rotary motion with both hands, the right going from right to left and vice versa.
By this action the silk will be rolled into a ball round the twisted corner as a nucleus, and the more tightly the palms are pressed to-gether, the more compact will be the result. That part of the silk hanging over the left hand will be drawn up gradually with pretty effect. When the last corner of the silk is arrived at, turn to the left, bringing the back of the right hand to the front, and clip the corner between the roots of the right middle and third fingers. Compress the right palm slightly, just enough to retain the balled silk, close the left fingers, not tightly, on the palm, but puffed out as if the hand held the silk, and move it away to the left, the right hand remaining stationary for the moment. This is most import-ant, the. whole illusion is destroyed if the right hand is at once moved away. Then, keeping the eyes fixed on the left, without haste drop the right hand which may get rid of the silk into a pocket or take hold of the wand.
To facilitate the rolling up of the silk a tiny piece of rubber, or better, a little ball of tissue paper of the same color as the silk, may be sewn in one corner. A similar preparation of the opposite diagonal corner will make the hold of the last end between the fin-gers much easier to accomplish.
b. End Roll Flourish. Having made the End Roll Palm, extend the left arm well over to the left, keeping the eyes fixed on the left hand. Raise the left leg, bending it at the knee, and point to it with the right forefinger; suddenly slap the left hand down on the left thigh and lift the hand showing the silk has vanished. Quickly place the right hand just below the left thigh and release the silk from the grip of the palm, but keep hold of the corner between the middle fingers. The silk will unroll, falling to full length with pretty effect, as if it had passed right thru your leg.
This little feat is not only excellent practice for the End Roll Palm, but can be introduced in manipulations with good effect.
c. The Center Roll Palm. Standing with the right side to the front, throw the silk to be vanished over the left hand, held verti-cally, palm towards the audience, the center of the silk lying against the middle of the left palm. Bring the right hand over to the left, pick up the center of the silk and twist a little of the fabric several times with the tips of right thumb and finger, to form a nucleus for the ball to be made. Press the palms tightly together and make the same rotary motion as for the End Roll. The result will be that the silk will be drawn into the hands from all sides at once with much greater effect. As soon as the ball is made and rolled tightly, the action is the same as before, left hand is moved away, puffed out, right hand remaining stationary.
In this case, also, in the early stages of practice, a piece of rubber may be sewn to the center of the silk, or a small glass bead, cut in facets, may be put on the left palm and the silk spread over it. This will render the rolling up of the silk a very easy matter. It should be noted that while this sleight is most effective for a com-plete vanish, it is not suitable in cases where the silk is to be re-produced.
d. Change Over Palm, Etc. Once the knack of rolling up a silk into a tight ball has been acquired, it will be found that many of the standard billiard ball moves can be done with the silk with almost equal ease. , For instance, having palmed the silk in your right hand and having shown the left hand empty, point to the left palm with the right forefinger almost touching the left wrist. Then swing round to the right, and, as the palms cross, relax the pressure of the right palm and contract the left palm 011 the silk, at once pointing with the left first finger to the empty right palm. Both hands have thus been shown empty. A little practice will show that many other ball sleights can be done with silks.
The balled silk can also be held at the roots of the middle fingers by bending them a little inwards. In this position there is, perhaps, less danger of an accidental expansion.
e. The First Vanish. Hold the left hand almost closed, the back of the hand upwards and the opening of the fist a little to (he left of the body. Throw the silk over the left hand so that the cen-ter is just over the opening of the fist. With the right forefinger push the silk into the fist by repeated strokes. When all of the silk is in the left hand, and while the index finger is making a last push, stretch out the right thumb below and behind the left thumb and
under the crumpled silk which it at once pulls out of the left hand against the right palm, where it is held by bending the second, third and fourth fingers on it. Move the left hand away as if it still held the silk, while the right hand remains stationary for the moment, the forefinger outstretched and pointing to the left hand, on which the eyes are fixed.
The movement should be practiced before a mirror to get the right angle for the withdrawal of the silk from the left hand.
f. Vanish by the "Thimble" Palm. Taking a small silk by one corner wrap it round the tip of the right index finger and push the free end under the folds to hold it tight. In exactly the same manner as for the vanish of a thimble, place the right forefinger on the left palm, displaying the silk, close the left fingers over it and under the cover thus afforded, rapidly bend tlie forefinger, leaving the silk in the crotch of the right thumb and extend the finger again into the left hand. With the left fingers make a pretense of pulling the silk off the first joint of the forefinger and move it away half closed. Follow it with your eyes, of course.
g. Vanish by Throwing. Having rolled the silk into a com-pact ball with the end tucked in, toss it from the right hand to the left which catches and returns it. Do this two or three times, but at the last throw palm the silk in the right hand and only make a pretence of throwing it. The left makes exactly the same gesture of catching the balled silk as before and is carried away upward, half closed and followed intently by the eyes.
Done with simple natural movements the action is completely illusory.
h. Back Hand Palm. If tlie silk has been securely balled it is quite possible to vanish it by tlie back hand movement as is done with cards and coins. In order to secure complete safety in making the movements for this sleight a small tie clip can be inserted in the liem of the silk and secured by a few stitches. Having rolled the silk into a ball it can be held securely by means of the clip. After the manipulations, and it is desired to produce the silk, a simple pres-sure on the clip will release the folds and allow the the silk to develop.
i. The Hollow Ball Vanish. In the course of various tricks with silks it becomes necessary to insert a silk into a hollow ball, egg or lemon. The usual way of doing this is to have the hollow object between the hands, letting the silk hang down from the finger tips, then while waving the hands up and down, the fingers gradually push the silk into the egg, lemon, or whatever the object may be.
A much better, and more effective method, is to palm the hol-low article in the right hand with the opening outwards. With the same hand spread the silk over the left hand, at the same lime push-ing its center well into the openpush-ing with the left thumb. Then hold-ing the left hand flat, press the hollow object firmly against its palm and make a rotary motion with the right hand from left lo right. Tlie silk will be rapidly drawn from all sides into the ball, egg, or whatever the object in use, with fine effect.
CHAPTER III
METHODS FOR PRODUCING A SINGLE SILK
a. Silk Rolled Into a Compact Ball. A silk having been rolled into a compact ball as in Method a, Cliapt. I, may be so placed that it can be easily and quickly palmed without arousing suspicion. For instance, it may be placed behind any object on the table, such as another silk crumpled up, a book, a box, etc. To secure the silk lift some other article with the right hand, showing it and looking intently at it. Drop the left quietly on the silk and palm it. Later the change-over may be made and tlie silk produced as m a y be desired.
Again tlie silk may be on a small servante at the back of a chair and secret possession taken of it, either in moving the chair or placing some article on the seat. Care must be taken to turn the hand with its back to the audience when the palm is made.
Properly rolled the silk m a y be secreted under the vest on either side. To cover the necessary slight bending of the arm so that the fingers can take the ball, a turn of the body must be made to cover the operating arm. A pretty production can be made by taking a fan in the right hand and an empty, small cardboard tube in the other. By holding the fan naturally with tlie arm bent, the load can be secured by the right fingers while facing the audience, at the same time call attention to the tube, showing it empty. Then while fan-ning this, held vertically in the left hand, disengage tlie end of the silk that is tucked in and simply let it fall. The current of air from the fan will open out the silk and it will appear to have dropped from the tube.
A silk m a y be secreted in the armpit from whence it is allowed to drop into the hand in pulling up the sleeve or it m a y be simply pulled out casually and without remark.
Effective productions of single silks m a y be made from various parts of the clothing. For example, a small opening is made in the trouser leg and to this, inside the trouser a long narrow pocket is
sewn. Into this, by means of a pencil, with rounded end, push a silk, to one end of which has been sewn an inch of strong black silk to which is tied a little black bead. The bead is allowed to hang out-side the pocket. The fingers find this without fumbling and the silk can be pulled into view so rapidly ,tliat there can be no suspi-cion aroused that it was simply loaded in the clothing beforehand. For this production the use of the half-silks can be strongly recom-mended, since they take up only half the space and cost half as much as the full size silks.
Again the silk may be secreted between the collar and the coat collar. Under any colorable pretext, bend the arm so that the point of the elbow is presented to the spectators, the other hand rubbing it or pointing to it. The fingers are thus brought right to the silk and can secure it and palm it without any false move.
b. From Behind the Ear. Roll a small silk of line texture into
a thin sausage, about 1Y2 in. long, and round it wind a piece of the finest florist's wire two or three times to hold it in shape. Begin at one end and at the other let the wire extend and bend it into a half circle about one inch in diameter and finish by bending the end into a T shape. Hang this on the back of the right ear so the T end of the wire passes to the front, where it will be quite unnoticeable. In the action of turning back the sleeves the right hand is brought close to the right ear and, under cover of a turn to the right, the fin-gers take hold of the T shape and carry off the silk at the back of the right hand. Bring the left hand up to the right and under its cover pull the silk between the hands. By rubbing them together the silk is freed from the wire and this is allowed to fall unnoticed to the floor.
This clever production is by M. Remi Cellier, author of Manual Pratique d'lllusionisme et de Prestidigitation which unfortunately is not available to English readers.
c. From Under the Vest. Thrust a large black-headed pin into the
lower part of the vest from the front to the back, point downwards. On the pin impale the balled silk: the pin should be so placed that the silk is held about half an inch above the edge of the vest. To palm the silk, turn the side of the body on which it is secreted away to mask the arm, and with as little movement as possible, simply bend the fingers under the vest and draw the silk off the pin. Two, or even three, silks can be safely carried under the vest by this method. The head of the pin may be perforated and the spike of a safety-pin passed through it. The safety-pin can then be fastened in position through the lining of the vest.
d. Loop of Florist's Wire. Round a tightly balled silk twist a short piece of very fine florist's, wire by placing the silk against the middle of the wire, taking the ends round once and then twisting them, one on the other several times. Then twist the ends of the wire together to make a loop or ring, big enough for the easy inser-tion of the thumb tip. Thus prepared the silk can be placed in a vest pocket, in the top opening of the vest, or between two of the vest buttons, the ring of wire projecting outwards so that it is read-ily get-at-able.
It is a simple matter to engage the thumb in (lie loop and draw the silk out so that it rests against the palm. After disengaging the silk from the wire, this is simply let fall to the floor. In a similar way the silk may be put on a small servante at the back of a chair, in a table wall, on a headless nail at the back of a table, and so on. In the mere action of laying some article down the load can be secured with ease and certainty of not arousing suspicion.
e. Silk Appears Magically in Coat Pocket. Pass the looped end of a length of black elastic through the bottom of the outer pocket, under the coat; carry the other end round the back and fasten it to a trouser button on the right hand side. Push a silk through the loop and place it under the left arm as in Flower in the Buttonhole Trick. Release the silk by throwing up tlie left arm in the course of appropriate patter and the silk will instantly appear at the top of the pocket. Remove it from the elastic loop which remains out of sight in tlie pocket.
d/. By Misdirection. Roll a silk into a small ball by means of the Finger Roll, p. 4, and tuck it carefully in the top of your right trouser pocket. With the left hand make a clutch in tlie air, high up, at the same moment hook the right thumb into tlie trouser pocket, pull out and transfer it to the finger palm. Holding the left hand puffed out as if something had been eauglit from the air, place its imaginary contents into the right hand and then shake out the silk. Well timed, tlie misdirection is perfect.
e/. Another Method. To the inside of the right forearm tie, with a flesh colored thread, a silk which has been folded by the Trap Fold Method, p. 5, the ends lying against the arm. With the left hand draw the right sleeve back a little, clasping the arm and so cov-ering the silk, and show the right hand empty. While doing this, stand with the right side to the front.
Turn to the left, repeating the action in the same way to show the left hand emtpy. Repeat the first movement but this time break the thread and carry away the silk palmed in the left hand. Bring the hands together and develop the silk.
f/. Variation Using Wrist Watch Strap. Roll a silk into a com-pact ball by the Finger Roll, p. A, and tuck it under the strap of your wrist watch. Show the right hand empty, pointing to it with the left forefinger. Turn to the left and show your left hand, also empty, right forefinger pointing to it.
Bend the other three right fingers in and work the silk from under the strap into the palm as you turn the left hand to show it back and front. Then w.ith a little jerk of the right hand shoot the silk to the right finger tips and immediately seize it with the left hand and shake it out.
g/. With a Thread. Roll a silk by the Finger Roll and tie a short length of weak black thread round it. Attach the free end to one of the buttons on the sleeve at the back of the wrist. If the silk has been put in the left sleeve, draw back the right sleeve with the left hand and show right hand empty. Then with the right hand draw the left sleeve back a little, and push the right thumb under the thread as both sides of the left hand are shown. By the mere action of putting the hands together the silk is imperceptibly pulled between them. Develop the silk slowly as if it materialized by degrees.
Display the silk with the left hand and with the right hand adjust the left sleeve, unobtrusively breaking the thread off the button and dropping it to the floor.
h/. From Back Hand. To prepare for this effective method, sew a fine black silk thread, about 12 in. long, to one corner of the silk and then roll it up tightly from the opposite diagonal corner by the Finger Roll. Wind the thread round and round the balled silk, leaving a couple of inches to twist round the tip of the right forefinger.
Holding the silk clipped between the right first and little fingers, as in the front finger palm with a card, make a clutch in the air, catch-ing nothcatch-ing. Turn to the right, back-palmcatch-ing the silk under cover of the turn, and jerk the ball into the air from the back of the right fingers. The thread unwinds and as the silk expands, catch it at the finger tips. A large knot at the free end of the thread will enable it to be clipped between the fingers.
i/. Finger Ring and Thread. Take a length of fine black silk thread, about three feet long, and lie one end to the lowest button hole of the vest; run the other end through a finger ring and then sew it to the center of the silk to be produced. Roll the silk by the Trap Fold, p. 5, pass the thread round the middle of the bundle once and tuck it under the vest, or, in the case of a dress vest, at the top on the left side. Put the ring in a lower vest pocket so that it can be easily secured.
To produce the silk, get the ring secretly 011 the right middle finger, the thread passing under the palm. Make a quick outward and upward catching motion with the right hand and the silk will be pulled into it instantaneously. While shaking it out to display it quietly break off the thread. This method can be used al the closest quarters.
j/. Instantaneous Production. To two adjacent corners of the silk to be produced fasten a strong thread, slightly longer than the side, of the silk. Fold the silk in half, bringing the two corners to which the thread is fastened, together. Then fold it by method d, p. 4, in accordeon pleats into a band about 2 in. in width. Starting from the end opposite to that which has the thread, fold this band in the same way arriving at a square packet about 2 in. in size, the two threaded corners at the top, outside the packet and the thread loop free. Take one corner and draw it round the silk so that the bulk of it is enclosed in a kind of pocket.
Place the packet under the lower edge of the vest, the two cor-ners, to which the thread is attached, being downwards and loop the thread upwards over the third button of the vest. To produce the silk, insert thumbs in the loop, lifting the thread off the button, and carry the arms forward to full extent, first downwards and then up-wards, spreading the hands apart. The silk will appear instanta-neously. The thread must be strong enough to bear the strain.
k/. Large Foulard or Flag. Fold the silk or flag by Method d, as in the previous paragraph, and roll it up as tightly as possible. Around the resulting bundle gum a band of black tissue paper. To each of two adjacent corners, thin wire loops must be sewn firmly, of such size that the thumbs can be inserted easily. Place the bundle in the opening of the vest at the top, or in coat pocket on the right
hand side. Draw it into the right hand by placing right thumb in one loop and quickly put the hands together. Insert the left thumb in the other loop and jerk the hands apart instantly developing the silk or flag. The tissue paper will drop unnoticed.
1/. Thumb Method. Wrap a red silk tightly round the tip of the right thumb and tuck the free end in under the folds at the base of the thumb nail; hide the silk by keeping the thumb bent in a little. Show both palms empty by putting the right thumb on the back of the left hand, fingers pointing upwards. Turn the hands down to show the backs, turning the right thumb in towards tlie palm, bring the hands together, bending the thumbs inwards under the fingers and work the silk off the thumb. Let it appear gradually.
m/. Finger Stall Production. Obtain a rubber finger stall to fit easily over the left little finger and roll it up carefully, inside out. Wrap a small silk tightly round the first joint of the left little finger and roll the finger stall over it. Do not tuck the free end of the silk under the folds, let it remain loose, the stall will hold it and the final production will be easier. Show the hands with the finger tips pointing straight forward, the stall will be invisible. To produce the silk simply put the hands together, the right hand fingers cover-ing those of the left, work off the stall and gradually develop the silk. The best way is to push it up over the finger tips with the thumbs.
n/. With a Rubber Band. Place a small red rubber band over the second joints of tlie right hand second and third fingers. Fold a silk into a small oblong bundle about IV2 in. long, and place it between the two middle fingers, so that the front part of the band is under the first fold of the silk. Push the bundle through tlie two fingers to tlie back of the hand, taking that part of the band with it, and close the fingers tightly together. Show the front of the hand and, in turning it over with a sweep to the left to show the back, open the fingers and let the silk pass through to the front of the hand.
Making a catch in the air, clench the fist, pulling the silk from under the band into the palm. Open the hand quickly and the silk will instantly expand with surprising effect. For close quarters wbrk it is advisable to rub a little French chalk over tlie rubber to tone it down.
o/. A Second Method. Make a band of narrow flat elastic, of the hat band variety, jnst large enough to hold the silk to be pro-duced when it is tightly balled. On the outside of the band sew a fairly large button and on that put a dab of good, adhesive wax. Place the band round the silk with the waxed button on the side away from the palm. To show the palms empty, cross the arms, the right palm passing over the back of the left hand, all fingers pointing upwards, and press the silk on it, making it adhere by means of the waxed button. Recover the silk in making the reverse movement. After developing the load the elastic band can be drop-ped on the table in putting the silk down. The method is quite practical for a fairly large silk.
p/. A Third Method. To prepare for this simple, but very effective production, place a band of fine grey elastic lengthways on the forefinger so that one end will project about half an inch over the finger tip. Wrap the silk tightly round the middle of the band and the finger, as in the Finger Roll, slip the finger out and tie the bundle with black thread: do not tuck the end into the folds. The two ends of the elastic should protrude from the ends of the silk bundle: slip the little finger into one loop and the thumb into the other, bringing the silk into the palm of the hand.
To produce the silk, bring the hands together, turn to the right, and under cover of the left hand slip the right fingers under the elastic, bringing the silk to the back of the right hand. Open the hands again, showing the palms empty, the silk being safely hidden at the back of the right hand. Bring the hands together again, let-ting the silk slip back into the right palm and close the right fingers on it. Insert the left thumb and forefinger in the opening of the right fist, seize the inner corner of the silk ball and draw it daintily upwards.
If the band is a fine one, toned down a little with French chalk, it will be invisible at a short distance. With a little practice the familiar back and front moves, as with cards, can be applied to this method and the silk produced with one hand.
q/. From the Wand. Fold a silk by placing two diagonal cor-ners to the middle, then double the pleats on one another until you have a roll about IV2 in. wide. Wrap this around the end of the wand tightly enough for it to be securely held, but not so firmly that a noticeable effort must be made to slip it off. Tuck the free end under the folds. Take the end of the wand in the right hand and tap the left palm with the other end, then place the silk end
under the left arm. Pull back both sleeves, carelessly showing both hands empty. With the left hand take the wand by the end nearest to it and at once grip the silk end with the right hand. Withdraw the wand from the right hand with the left, leaving the silk behind. Tap the right hand with the wand, opening it quickly and allowing the silk to expand.
r/. Using a Playing Card. Bend a card lengthways, as for the Back Hand Palm, and slip a rather broad elastic band round it. Fold a silk by the Trap Fold Method p. 5, and put it under the band, which must be tight enough to hold the silk securely. The smooth side of the bundle must be on the outside, the folded corners lying against the card. Thus prepared, the card may lie on the table, behind some small object, and in putting the wand down, clip it at the back of the hand, back palm fashion. With left side to the front, point to the empty right hand with the left forefinger, reverse the card to the front of the hand as you drop the arm to the side and turn to the left to show the left hand empty and point to the left palm with the right forefinger. Bring the hands together and slowly develop the silk. Do not be tempted into frantically waving the right hand back and front as in the usual back hand manipula-tions.
Three small silks can be loaded on a card in the same way and produced one by one.
s/. From a Lighted Candle. A little preparation is necessary. Put a drop of glue on the lower side of a thumb tack and push the pin through the corner of a silk. Let it dry thoroughly. Ball the silk by the diagonal fold method, roll it up tightly towards the end with the pin attached, then push the pin in making all secure. Load this under the vest, on the right hand side. Take the lighted candle in the left hand, at the same time palming the silk. Push tbe thumb tack out with the right thumb and press it into the candle just behind the flame. With an upward motion of the right hand let the silk unroll. Grip the last corner between thumb and finger and jerk the pin loose with a little backward pull. The candle must be held firmly in the left hand.
t/. |From the Body of a Candle. The candle is made from a piece of heavy paper with an outside covering of white glazed paper the same shade as a candle. Push a silk inside this tube and insert a small piece of candle at the top. To produce the silk, wrap the candle in paper, tear the paper and candle in half, extract the silk and crumple up the remains, tossing them aside. The method is an easy one, but it is hard to make a clean break and a satisfactory extraction of the silk.
u/. Fancy Silk, such as a Mickey Mouse Design. For any fancy silk which has a black part in its design, roll it by turning the diag-onal corners in to the middle, proceeding in such a Way that finally the black part only shows on the outside. Tie the bundle with a weak black thread and impale it 011 the point of a pin which you have thrust through the cloth of the trousers, point upwards, at the back of the right leg, where the hand will rest naturally when dropped to the side. While pattering, gesticulate with the right hand, letting all see it is empty. Turn to the right and make a catching motion with the left hand, high up, closing the fist as if something had really been caught from the air. Under cover of this palm the silk from the pin with the right hand. Turn to the front and make a pretence of transferring the catch to the right hand. Work the fingers about, breaking the thread, then quickly open th6m letting the silk expand freely. The method can be worked effectively with a large silk.
v/. From a Match Box. The original method, introduced by De Kolla, was to push the silk into the back of the cover, letting the drawer protrude at the front. After taking a match the silk was naturally pushed out into the hand by the mere action of closing the box. Unfortunately the method has become widely known. A later method is to glue the drawer to the cover and cut away the bottom of both. Roll the silk by the Trap Fold, tie it with a weak thread and push it into the box. Make a small hole in one end of the drawer at the top and push a couple of matches in, letting the heads pro-trude. Pick up the box, extract a match and let the silk fall into your palm. Always have two matches in case of a misfire.
Another way is to tie the folded silk against the bottom of the box and stand this on its side, the silk being to the rear. Pick up the box between thumb and fingers of right hand, put it in the left hand and push the drawer out with the right thumb. Take a match with thumb and first finger and with the other fingers break the thread allowing the silk to fall into the left palm. By having a small well in the table top, or a small hole in a cigar box, the box can be set down flat. Care must be taken not to expose the silk when lifting the match box.
A third plan is to make a false bottom in the drawer just deep enough to hold a single row of matches, then cut away the front half of the real bottom of the drawer and the rear half of the bottom of the cover. A small silk, tightly rolled and tied, is loaded into the front part of the drawer as this is pushed into the cover. When the
box is opened, the open part of the bottom of the drawer will be brought above the cut away portion of the cover and the silk will fall into the hand. Fig. 6.
Fi&. lo.
w/. From the Lapel. A small pocket is required under the left lapel with the opening at the top. Roll a silk by the Finger Roll Method and tie one end of strong black silk thread round it. Put the silk into the pocket and to the free end of the thread tie a pin. Push this into the coat so that a short loop of thread will hang down.
To produce the silk, show the palm of the left hand, pointing to it with the left forefinger, then with a half turn to the right, show the right palm and point at it with the left forefinger, but in turning slip tlie left thumb under the loop of thread. Gazing intently upwards, make a sudden lunge with both hands up into the air and catch the silk between them. The flight of the silk from the pocket to the hands is invisible.
x/. ' From the Bend of the Elbow. For this excellent method, also introduced by De Kolta, make a small fold in the middle of the left sleeve, the opening being towards the left hand. Fold a small silk and tuck it into the fold hiding it by slightly bending the arm. To get the load pull up the right sleeve with the left hand, then the left sleeve with the right liand, the fingers pulling the silk out of the fold into the right palm imperceptibly.
To produce a very large silk, or several silks at once, by this plan, use a small bag of dull black silk, with an opening along one side. Roll three or four silks by the Trap Method and push them into the bag one after the other, then simply put the bag on the arm at the bend of the elbow and bend it a little to hold the bag in place. Get possession of the bag in the same way as described above for a small silk and develop the silks one by one. The bag itself may be lined with brightly colored silk so that, by turning it inside out and crumpling it up it has the appearance of being another silk and is carelessly tossed on the table.
y/. From a Spool. Load a small silk into one end of a spool which has been bored out sufficiently to take it, leaving the other
end intact. Set this on the table with the good end to the front. Pick it up, break off a length of thread, getting possession of the load at the same time. Roll the thread between the fingers and apparently produce from it a silk of the same color. A larger silk can be produced by this method by having a special spool made as shown in Fig. 7. When the thread is broken off the tube B. remains in the hand and A. is put on the table, hollow end downwards. Push the thread into the lower part of the fist and pull the silk out of B. at the upper side. B. can be pocketed or dropped into a well in putting the silk on the table.
z/. A Japanese Method. Fold a small silk of the finest possible texture into a strip about 1 in. wide by the diagonal fold method, -then with a hairpin start the roll and make a ball of the smallest possible dimension. Do not tuck the last in as usual but simply wrap a small piece of heavy lead foil round the silk. Squeeze the little parcel very tightly, reducing it to the smallest compass possible, and put it in your mouth, just behind the closed lips. To produce the silk, show the hands very slowly, pull back both sleeves and again show the hands with fingers wide apart. Taking a sheet of tissue paper, tear off a small piece and roll it into a tiny ball at the tips of the fingers of both hands. To facilitate this, wot the tips of the right first and second fingers at your mouth. Do this a couple of times very openly, but the third time nip the lead foil packet between them. Continue rolling the tissue pellet and gradually develop the silk from the foil. Under cover of pushing the silk into view, roll the foil tightly into a tiny ball and secrete it at the roots of the second and third fingers, or simply let it drop to the floor with the tissue. If covered by waving the silk they will never be noticed. This is a beautiful feat for silent work.
Space will not permit the description of a large number of gimmicks made specially for the production of a silk. These can be obtained at any magic store.
PRODUCING A SINGLE SILK
al. The Hollow Wand. One end of this special wand is hollow; a silk is folded, then rolled tightly, so that it will fit easily in the empty space, and tied with a thread: piece of fine black florist's wire is passed under the thread at the top of the silk parcel. Load the silk into the wand so that the little Joop of wire protrudes; it will be imperceptible at a distance of a few feet. To use it, make a small cornucopia from a sheet of paper, twist the point tightly and hold it mouth downwards, the point in the left hand, after showing it empty. Pick up the wand and push it up into the cone, twirling it as further proof the cone is empty. Grip the point and the wire loop under the paper, withdraw the wand leaving the silk behind and twist the end of the cone tightly to retain the wire loop. Turn the cone mouth upwards, accidentally making a dent with the left thumb in one side. Dip the right hand in to straighten this out and take the opportunity of breaking the weak thread round the silk which is then ready for production as required.
By making the cone of flash paper and dropping it into a glass it can be flashed off with fine effect.
b/- Bottomless Bottle. The illustration practically explains this ingenious apparatus. The silk hangs from a thread which is held in the neck of the bottle by the cork. This is pulled out to allow a little of the magic fluid, "one drop of which will cause anything I wish to appear", to be apparently poured on the hand, the silk drops into the fingers, the bottle is put down, the hands are brought together and the production follows.
CHAPTER IV
THE PRODUCTION OF A -NUMBER OF SILKS
After having magically produced one silk it is not a dillicult matter to obtain a load, made up of a number of silks, by using the single silk a? a cover. The most effective presentation of a silk act is that in which no help is obtained from tables, chairs or apparatus, all the loads being obtained from the body. A description of the most ingenious methods of arranging these loads follows. It is impos-sible to give all the variations in use: each performer will apply his own ingenuity to modifying those given or arranging new ones to suit himself.
a/. From the Sleeve. If the first silk, produced by one or other of the methods explairjfd in Chapter III, is a white one, to prepare for apparently multiplying it into a i\umber of silks, take another white silk, of the same size, and spread it out flat on a table. Fold three others, same size but different colors,
separately by the diagonal fold and place them one oil the other. Twist apd twirl them rather tightly together and lay the resulting roll on the white silk as shown in the Fig. 9. Roll this rather tightly round them and continue until corner C is reached. The colored silks will be safely ensconced in the white and as long as the corners at
A are held they cannot be seen. c p
Prepare two rolls of silks in this way, remove your coat, take one roll in each hand, holding them by the corners A: put on your coat, so arranging that the ends A remain out of sight near the ends of the sleeves at the inner side of the wrists. To produce the ffrst load, display the single silk, holding it up in the right hand and stroke it downwards with the left. Bring the left hand up to the right to repeat the action, but this time nip the corner A of the load and draw this out of the sleeve by the downward sweep of the left hand. On no account must the right hand be moved, such action would suggest a removal of something from the sleeve and would destroy the illusion entirely. The moment the load is clear of the sleeve, seize its lower end and that of the single silk with the right hand and twirl them together. To the audience it will appear that one silk only is still in view. Release the grip of the left hand, letting the silks untwist and show a white silk in each hand. Throw
the single over the left arm and hold the load with the right hand; shake it to free the colored silks from the folds of the white one and draw them out, one by one, by their lower ends.
By a repetition of the same moves with opposite hands obtain the second load from the right sleeve.
b/. From the Vest. In a similar manner a production can be made from the vest, the end of the load being made to protrude from between the buttons. In this case, however, the first silk produced must be of a dark color, purple for instance. To make it an easy matter to grip the load, a tiny knot can be made in the end of the silk covering it.
c/. Tubular Pockets for Vest Productions. Under the vest, on each side, you have a small tube, preferably of black sateen, sewn to the lining, the mouths coming almost to the lower corners. They must be large enough to hold six 18 in. silks, doubled, without bind-ing; they must come out easily. Tie a tiny knot at the extreme corner of each silk and slip these knots into a wire letter clip, Fig. 11. Double the silks over and, inserting a pencil into the doubled part, push them into the tubes, allowing the knotted ends to protrude. Produce the loads under cover of silks already in hand. Display these in both hands just in front of the body and gather an end of each with the right thumb and forefinger, the hand being just at the left corner of the vest. As you do this grip the wire clip with the other fingers of tlie right hand and pull the visible silks and the load through the left hand with an upward motion to the left. Under cover of shaking the silks as they multiply visibly, slip the knots out of the clip and let it fall to the floor. The clip should be blackened. The second load is obtained with the left hand in the same way.
d/. For Large Loads. Take a piece of glossy cardboard, about 8 in. by 6 in. in size; at about an inch from each end fasten a length of broad, flat elastic with paper fasteners, tlie heads being on top of the elastic and the ends pushed through this and the cardboard, then separated and flattened underneath. Two of these gimmicks will be necessary. On one end of each glue a piece of broad tape, to each end of which attach a safety-pin. Prepare the loads by
laying out a dozen or more large silks flat, one on the other. Fold them diagonally opposite corners to the middle and then fold all over once lengthways. Fold the parcel thus made in half and insert it under the band near the safety pins and the middles under the lower band. Fig. 12. Pin the gimmicks thus loaded under the vest, one on each side. Fig. 13. Under cover of silks already produced, it is an easy matter to grip the middle parts of the loads and pull them out imperceptibly.
e/. Special Bag for Large Loads. Cut a piece of black silk to the
shape shown in the figure. The dimensions may be varied in accord-ance with the size of the load to be produced, but the measurements given will provide for a load large enough for most purposes. To prepare the bag fold C over D, letting it overlap about half au inch,
and fasten the two flaps with pins, Fig. 15. Fold flap B over these two and fasten it also with pins, making a bag with the end A open. Into this insert the silks. They must be folded by the Trap Fold Method and the largest pushed in first, silks of smaller dimensions following in regular order, the last being the smallest. Fifty, or more, silks can be loaded in and the bag should be filled to its utmost capacity. Finally fold A. over B. tightly and fasten it with a pin. Tie a thread crosswise round the parcel, remove the pins, and the load is ready. Fig. 16.
The bag thus prepared can be carried in a special pocket under the coat on the left side near the armpit, or it may hang under the coat by a thread, the free end of which is fastened to the top of the vest near the arm hole. It must be so placed that the end from which the small silks will emerge, will be uppermost when the load is ta-en. Whatever method of concealment is used, as soon as the load is obtained it is only necessary to break the thread and the silks will well out and drop from above those already in the hands with very pretty effect. By timing the fall of the silks, and not being a hurry, the supply will seem very much greater than it really is. The bag itself, when fully opened will pass for a silk and may be let fall with the others, thus there is nothing to get rid of. There is a special artifice which should be mentioned here where-by the number of silks produced is apparently doubled. Cut a number of them in half diagonally and have the cut side hemmed. When held up by a corner they appear to be complete. Fig. 17.
f/. Another "Bag" Method. Cut a circular piece of black sateen letting its size be governed by the number of silks to be produced. Sew a silk to this, center to center, then with a needle and strong thread run a thread around the edge of the circular piece, which should be hemmed, and tie the ends together making a small loop. Fig. 18. Fold the attached silk in to the middle and fold the silks to be pro-duced by the Trap Fold Method, place them all on top of the first silk and by pulling on the thread loop draw up the circular piece round them. Push as many more silks into the bag thus made as it will safely hold, draw the thread tight and tie it off. Fasten a cat-gut loop to the bag so that it can be liung on the thumb. The load may be placed in the opening of the dress vest or in a pocket with a vertical opening on the inside of the coat. By inserting the thumb in the loop the load can be secured under cover of silks already pro-duced. These are then put down, the hands are brought together and the fingers break the thread fastening the mouth of the bag. Tlie circular piece opens out flat and the silks may be made to well out gradually from the hands with beautiful effect.
g/. Dr. E. G. Ervyn's Method. Roll a red silk by the diagonal fold into a small ball and impale it on a pin, stuck point downward just under the edge of the coat on the right hand side. Pass a thread through the corners of three others, held together and let the thread extend beyond about half an inch; tic a large knot in the end of it. Twist these three together and drape them around the body inside the trousers on the left side, the knot in the thread protruding be-tween the second and third buttons of the trousers flap.
Asking someone to think of a color quickly, turn to the left and make a grab in the air with the left hand, closing it and hold-ing it as if somethhold-ing had been caught. At the same moment pull the silk off the pin and finger palm it in the right hand. Pass the right hand over the left, dropping the silk into the fist, the fingers opening slightly to receive it. Draw it downwards from the bot-tom of the fist. Tlie chances are greatly in favotr of red being the color thought of, but you don't hesitate. Hold it by two corners, right hand close to the knot in the thread, and turn the left hand over to the right in a circle to show the other side, then back. Re-lease the end from the left hand, seize the knot and quickly draw
the red silk and those from the trousers upward through the left hand with a jerk. "Any other colors? Quick," you call out. Then shake out the silks showing the different colors.
h/. Several Silks from a Candle. Roll up several silks by the Finger Roll Method, but do not tuck the ends in; tie each of them with a weak black thread. Fasten a gut loop to each little bundle by running it under the thread, make each loop double, one small by which each bundle can be hung on a headless brad in the sides of the table wells, or the back of the table, the larger loop being for the insertion of your thumb. A match box is placed just in front of one of the wells and, in picking it up, take up also one of the silks by running the thumb through the larger loop. Open the match box by pushing the drawer out towards the audience, take a match, strike it and light the candle. Break the thread round the silk and make a pretence of nipping it from the flame, at the same time releasing all but one corner.
In putting this silk on the table, get possession of a second in the same way, and so on with the third. After getting a bundle in the hand it is possible to show the hand empty by swinging it to the back of the hand and then back to the palm, but the move is a difficult one. It seems to me to be much better to produce the three smoothly and cleanly without any flourishes with the hand which,
i/. Using the Wand. Roll six or more silks by Method a., Chap.
II and tie them with thread. Fasten a loop of black florist's wire to the thread and place the bundle at the top of the dress vest, bending the wire loop forward so that it is at right angles to the body at the front of the vest. Hold the wand in the right hand by one end, the other pointed towards the loop. Show the left hand empty and drop it to a position several inciies in front of the body, level with the load. Under cover of this hand slip the free end of the wand into the loop and, with it, lift the load from the vest into the left hand, drawing in the stomach at the same time to aid its extraction. Grip the load with the left hand and raise it upwards and outwards, while the right hand continues the upward movement of the wand and taps the back of the left fist with it. Place the wand under one arm and develop the silks. This clever method appeared in that Trea-sury of Magic, The Magic Wand.
j / . From the Front of the Table. If your table has a black
vel-vet cover, a small pocket can be made in it behind the braid which generally runs round the edge. Into this place the load of silks, prop-erly rolled and folded, with a loop of black florist's wire protruding from the mouth. In the course of your productions lay one or two silks on the edge of the table near the wire loop. In taking these up engage the thumb in the loop and so obtain possession of the load.
k / . From a Magazine. This novel idea can be introduced
ef-fectively as an interlude in sleight of hand silk productions. Pre-pare a magazine, any one of the monthlies will do, by removing the cover and cutting the pages diagonally from a point about half way up the back to another point about half way across the bottom. Glue the cut edges together and then fasten the cover on again. Fold a number of silks to fit the cavity, arranging the corners so that the silks can be pulled out one by one. Take the magazine and ruffle the pages, the unprepared end being towards the front. Roll it up into a tube, look through it at the spectators, turn the prepared end upwards and pull out several of the silks. Unroll the tube, riffle the pages and repeat the production.
This is an arrangement by Mr. Fred. Mintz.
Finally, large loads may be set behind tables, chairs or fancy stands, and obtained in picking up silks which have been laid down in front of or over them, as they were produced by the methods al-ready explained. All these are legitimate and can be arranged to one's own taste, all except that wherein the performer leaves the stage and comes back with his coat bulging out in front as if he had a hunch back on the wrong side. I have seen this done by an em-inent magician.
CHAPTER V
VARIOUS METHODS OF VANISHING A SILK
a/. By a Pull. Various kinds of pulls can be obtained from the magic dealers. I do not take up space in describing these since the reader can easily obtain one to suit himself without any trouble. However, there are several simple pulls which one can make very easily.
1. Take a piece of black cord elastic, run it up the right sleeve across the back and fasten the end to a trouser button on the left side. Then make a loop at the other end, the length of the cord should be such that the loop will lie normally between the elbow and the shoulder. Double the handkerchief through the loop and bring the ends down to the cuff. To use the pull, take the handker-chief from the sleeve, gripping both ends, so pulling down the loop which you slip over your thumb. Wipe the hands lightly and put the handkerchief in your pocket. Pick up the silk, or silks, to be vanished, and pass them through the loop. Rub them between your hands, standing with left side to the front, and let them fly up the sleeve, but continue the rubbing movement for a few moments be-fore showing the hands are empty.
2. In place of elastic use a black cord, arranged in the same way but with a gut loop on the free end. The length of the cord is such that when the arms are extended to full length, the silk is drawn up the sleeve. The arm must be bent to obtain possession of the gut loop so that this method is suitable only for an opening trick or after a trip off stage.
3. Instead of fastening the cord to a trouser button it is let hang down outside the armhole of the vest on the opposite side and has a ring fastened to the free end. To vanish the silk, after doub-ling it through the loop, the left thumb is inserted in the ring and a sharp pull is made on the cord with the left hand. The silk disap-pears so quickly that the eye cannot follow it. By having a small object, an egg, ball or lemon under the silk in the right hand and making an upward throw as the jerk is made with the left hand, the silk will appear to have changed in mid-air. To avoid friction a bone ring should be sewn at the arm-hole of the vest, and the cord passed through it. Instead of a cord m a n y performers prefer to use a strong silk thread.
4. To Fix an Ordinary Pull. The pull provided by the magic stores vanishes the silk by means of a cup which is pulled under the coat. A great improvement in its working is made by having a loop
of elastic sewn to the trousers near the suspender button; this must be large enough to stop the cup without letting it pass through. This acts as a buffer and ensures a smooth and silent vanish. The elastic cord of the pull should go right around the body and end in a small loop, which is slipped over one end of the suspender buttons, instead of being fixed to the back of the vest as is usually done. In ord.gr that the cup may be easily obtained without fumbling, sew a dress hook, point downward on the hip, in such a position that the elastic can be passed under it and hold the vanisher just hidden by the coat. This is then easily secured by one hand as the silk is shown in the other. After the silk is all in the cup this is allowed to slip quietly under the coat at the moment that the hands sway near the body, but the forward and backward movement of thte hands is contin-ued, and the hands are finally stretched out well away from the body before being separated to show that the silk has vanished.
b/. Gas Chimney Vanish. Fasten a gut loop to a cord and a small strap to the other end. Attach the strap to the right arm just above the elbow, then pass the cord and loop across the back and down the left sleeve. The length of the cord and gut loop must be so adjusted that when a silk is doubled through the loop it will be drawn out of sight up the sleeve. Slip your pocket liandherchief through the loop and draw it into the sleeve, the ends remaining near the wrist. When the pull is required draw the handkerchief down by gripping both ends, wipe the hands and under cover of this slip the gut loop over the left thumb; push the handkerchief into the right sleeve. Show the silk to be vanished and put it through the gut loop while stroking it; push it into the gas chimney so that the middle of the silk is at the left end of the gas chimney as it is held between the palms of the hands. As this is being done the arms must be kept firmly pressed to the sides. To vanish the silk simply raise the glass tube, allowing space for the silk to pass out by lifting the left palm slightly, and at the same moment throw the elbows outwards. The silk will disappear instantaneously.
c/. Another Glass Tube Vanish. A small piece of mirror glass,
just large enough to slip into the gas chimney, is required and on the back a small bag of tlie same color as the silk to be van-ished must be glued. Pick up this gimmick under cover of the silk to be vanished, and push the silk into the bag under the pretense of merely rolling it up; then push the gimmick into the chimney with the bag side to the front. Hold the glass tube between the palms, give it a half turn in raising it slightly and the mirror will create the illusion of the silk having vanished. The tube can be slid into a well in laying the tube on the table.
