Water Wizardry: A collection of tricks in which water is the chief agent

RICKS-(c

d their conjuring far too seriously. It is just as well to unbend occasionally, and

d cover it with an opera hat. T

rink the water without lifting the hat?" The answer is in the ne

ound of a man drinking from a glass. (I confess that this part of the experiment is not all it ought to be!) Then announce that you have performed the feat and drop the cloth.

sy

Ask someone to put water into a glass when the glass

it burn for a second or two and then invert the glass over the plate. You will see the water rush into t

rting

angle of the "V" place a threepenny bit. Tell someone that they may have the coin if they can get it into the bottle, but they must not t

n this trick in some way. In that case you are right. Drop a little water on the angle of the m

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two pennies on the edge of the tumbler; t

e coins together, using o

other. Quickly slide the coins down the sides of the glass and br

icult, but you will not do it at the first

Tha

it will not hold anything

his experiment it must be quite dry. Then, with a steady hand bring the edge of a sixpence to the surface of the water and le

edient

of water, and seven corks. The trick is to put the corks into t

er until they are thoroughly soaked. Then hold them in the position you wish them t

culi

her floats on the top of a large glass of water nor sinks to the b

ing it in very steadily so that it does not mingle with the brine at the bottom of the glass. Now if you drop an egg gently into the li

uspen

e suitable for the garden

other end of the string, so that the mug is suspended,

string when he is not expecting the mug to fall. Another assistant tries his luck; he probably holds his hands just under the mug. You protest that that is not fair, but you will try the trick, nevertheless. While talking you quietly move the string

ill cut the string you will most certainly catch the mug directly it falls. While making this apparently rash promise you quietly tie a little loop in the string and keep it hidden with your hand for a moment. When your assistant is holding one end

nile garden party. To go to the opposite extreme, here is a l

ticky

the trick. Dip a small square piece of paper into the glass of water and take it out again. This action naturally spills a little of the water, so you fill up the glass once mor

that the boy will explain to you that the pressure of the air on the under surface of the paper is greater than the pressure of th

ack again; turn the glass right end uppermost, remove the paper, and show tha

ectly flat, and the base should be rather larger than the top. You also need a disc of celluloid with the edg

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he water and dip in the piece of paper. This causes some of the water to overflow and you naturally want to pick up the jug to fill it up again, but you are holding the glass in the left hand and the wet paper in your right. To get the right hand free you place the paper under the base of the glass and

ere tightly and you can wave the glass about after you have taken the paper away. You have said something in the first part of

ift it up. Then remove the paper with the disc under it, place both under the glass, tak

the top the disc of celluloid cannot be hidden under the tumbler; it is usual to have it on a

ing of the trick the hole is closed with wax, and to conclude the trick the conjurer holds the inverted glass with the paper on it ove

s kind the reader is referred to C

with a celluloid disc adhering to its base. The conjurer will naturally want to get rid of th

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it and in so doing wipes away the celluloid disc and puts it into his pocket. He pours a little of the wat

swinging it right round with the hand, without spilling t

fingers. Extend the arm and then, with a quick semicircular sweep of the arm, which should be held stiffly, bring the glass right

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ckets tied to the ends of a rope. The buckets are swung about at an alarming pace and in "impos

loati

there. The pin naturally sinks to the bottom of the bowl, whereupon you complain that your directions have not been carried

ut the pin on the paper. In a few moments the paper will s

ing

ter; if so, have they noticed the effect. You ask for a pack of cards and begin the experiment by

ard, and you put, say, the five of clubs on the bottom of the pack and therefore hol

you. To dry the card you take your handkerchief from your pocket and dab the

experiment with the pip which is now in the position occupied by the first. This action redu

once, leaving only one pip in the centre of the card. Then wash away t

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friend in the audience to "find" a pack of cards when you ask for one, and that person has no difficulty in "

thus the audience do not see that the pip is still on the card. Then you take your handkerchief from your pocket, and in so doing secretly take out a five of clubs with one spot missing behind the handkerchief. It is not a difficult matter, under cover of the handkerchief and while pretending

if you bend the third and little fingers of the left hand slightly they will conceal the pip at that corner, but before you bend the fingers let

, push up the back card with the first finger of the left hand, extend the fingers of the right hand and push the

s done in the fraction of a second. All you apparently do is

gers slightly and thus hide the place where the missing pip ought to be. The card is now

you to wash away the pip which is supposed to be there, you must bring the right hand over the spot at once, otherwise the audience will see that the spot is not there! This time y

ent while you dip a finger of the left hand into the water. In the act of passing the cards from one hand to the other you slide the next ca

ack with the card facing the audience, but hold the pack in both hands with the hands at the corners (top and bottom) as though you were merely hiding the pips there. Someone is sure to tell you to "take away your hands," and, apparently reluctantly, you do so, disclosing the card with the single pip in the centre. The laug

are damp enough to manage one pip and you pretend to

xamination, taking care to turn the pack down with its face to the floor as you remove

one is sure to say: "Let us have a look at the cards." Don't be in too great a hurry to hand them out for examination; always "play" with the younger members of your audience when you get the chance to do so. Of course, if the children are so exceedingly well behaved that they do not ask to see the cards you must suggest that "perhaps you would like to have a look at the cards," but I hope for your sake that the children a

with each pack. If the cards have no index corners you need prepare only two trick cards-one with four spots on it and one with three. To get the spots, put a ten-spot card in cold water and let it soak until

f the backs of a couple of cards, dry them, paste white paper on them and then stick pips on the paper. The drawba