Jean Hugard Card Manipulations 5

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card to be forced was pushed into the fake and so held. The
pressure being relaxed as the spectator reached out, the card
would glide into his hand.
It is, however, a difficult matter to insert the fake in the
pack and prevent the card making premature appearance. A
simpler plan is to use the even older principle of the rising
card. Take a length of fine black silk, about eighteen inches,
tie a knot at one end and insert it in a minute slit in the end
of the card to be used. Draw the thread over the back of this
card, place a second card on it and bring the thread back
over it. To the other end of the thread tie a small black
safety pin, fastening it under the vest.
If these two cards are placed in the pack, when it is thrust
outwards, the card will glide out to meet the spectator's
hand. As he takes it, the withdrawal of the pack will free the
thread. The two cards thus prepared can he carried quite
safely in the lower vest pocket. To add them to the deck is
an easy matter and a simple cut will bring them to the
middle.
This amusing feat makes a very good opening for the
Ambitious Card trick. Say you use the Jack of Diamonds.
After the comedy force inquire what the card is. "The Jack
of Diamonds," you say. "That's the most troublesome card
in the deck. Always pushing himself forward. Put him on
the top out of the way and take another." You pass the card
to the middle and again force it by the classical method.
Then continue with your own favorite version of the
Ambitious Card, that always returns to the top of the pack.
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Card Manipulations No. 5
Jean Hugard
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Your Card, Sir?
This trick was contributed by me to the Sphinx for July,
1936, and is reproduced by permission. It is an elaboration
of a somewhat old experiment. The requirements are: a
small table, a pack of cards and a plain sheet of glass about
six by four inches in size. Begin by inviting a spectator to
help you and ask him to bring his hat with him. Seat the
gentleman on your left, take his hat and put it crown
downwards on the table, taking the opportunity to press the
sweat band open a little on one side. Hand the cards to the
gentleman, let him shuffle it to his own satisfaction, retain
one card and return the rest to you.
The next step is to have the card returned to the deck,
brought to the top, and, if desired, palmed off and the deck
again shuffled. The method I leave to the individual
performer, suggesting, however, that the use of the Hindu
shuffle is as good as any. Take the pack replacing the
palmed card on top, and have the assistant cut it into two
parts, as nearly equal as possible. Let him touch one packet.
If he touches that with the chosen card on the top say, "I am
to use this one? Very well," and take it. On the other hand if
he touches the other packet say, "You wish to have that
one? Take it, please." Continue, "Now I want you to do
exactly as I do." With that take your packet and rip it in
half. Put one half down and tear the remainder in half again.
Place these two quarter packets face down on the table and
pick up the other half packet. Tear this in half and place the
resulting quarter packets beside the other two. While you
are doing this the assistant will probably be still struggling
with his half. However, take no notice. Go right on.
Pick up the quarter packet that looks the smallest. With the
back of your hand to the audience, dribble out the pieces in
a stream into the hat. At the same time pull back the top
piece into the finger palm position with your thumb. Take
up the next largest packet and repeat the operation.
Continue with the remaining packets, keeping the largest to
the last, since this will aid you in holding the other three
pieces easily and cleanly. Dip your hand into the hat and stir
the pieces around, taking the opportunity to slip the four
pieces of the chosen card under the sweat band at the point
where you had previously pulled it open, so making the
operation an easy one.
Now grasp the hat with the fingers inside covering the
position of the four pieces and holding them securely, and
turn your attention to your volunteer assistant. Probably he
has not succeeded in tearing his cards in half even, but in
any case let him finish quartering his cards over the hat so
that the audience see the pieces drop in with the others. At
this point it is advisable to recapitulate what has been done-
a card has been chosen, the deck shuffled and the pack torn
to fragments. Introduce the sheet of glass, on one side of
which you have previously placed four tiny pellets of wax,
so that they form the comers of a square in the center of the
glass about one and a half inches apart. Hand it to your
assistant and have him hold it in full view, waxed side
uppermost. Touch his hand with your finger tips under the
excuse of getting the vibrations of the chosen card. Show
your hand empty, dip it into the hat, stir the pieces around
and draw out one piece from under the band. Hold it With
its back to the audience and press it face down on one of the
pellets of wax on the glass. This operation you repeat three
times, but for the last piece let the assistant stir the pieces in
the hat himself, then touch his hand again and bring out the
last piece.
The fragments of course, have been placed in their proper
positions on the pellets of wax so that when you have the
gentleman call the name of his card it is only necessary for
him to hold up the glass towards the audience and everyone
sees at once that you have restored the chosen card, its face
showing plainly through the glass.
This method of revealing the card at the finish is new and
may be used to good advantage in other tricks. For a whole
card one pellet of wax only will suffice.
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Card Manipulations No. 5
Jean Hugard
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Part IV. The Palm and Recovery
This very effective flourish deserves much better treatment
than it usually receives, even at the hands of professional
magicians. How often does one see the artist palpably grab a
handful of cards from the top of the pack, then thrust his
hand under the coat of a spectator and bring them out spread
fanwise? The spectators laugh and applaud and the
performer takes it all as the reward of his cleverness. In
reality the spectators have seen exactly what he really did,
there was no secret in his getting possession of the cards,
and they only laughed at the discomfiture of the volunteer
assistant. Having "got away with it" so easily, as he thinks,
he never sees any necessity for making his moves cleanly.
Yet the palm and recovery should be done in such' a way [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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