"Now you see it and now you don't."
And presto! he took that very same quarter which had been in his hand,
out of--where do you think?--why, right out of the boy's mouth. That
wasn't all, either, for next minute he took it out of his cap, then
out of his ears. There had been one quarter before--now in his hand
there were--five--shiny--quarters! It was a wonderful trick!
But now the strange man, Dr. Philemon Pipp, was speaking again.
"Now that you all understand the trick," he declared, "I will pefohm
another foh youah entahtainment."
The funny thing about it was that no one understood it at all--except
the Toyman.
"Do you really?" the boys asked him, and he replied,--
"Pshaw! that's easy, but watch, sonny, and see what he'll try next."
Meanwhile the man had taken off his tall silk hat.
"You see this hat, ladees an' gents? Just a simple piece of headwear
that has seen many suns and rains. No false bottom or top."
And he tapped the hat to show them it was just an ordinary hat. Still,
Marmaduke thought it was very much out of the ordinary. Never had he
seen such a grand one--not even on Deacon Smithers.
"Now peel yuh eyes--careful--watch--everybody ready? Presto,
chango--and here we are."
And believe it or not as you may, out of that hat he drew a white
rabbit--a real live white rabbit. He held it up by its ears for all to
see.