SLEIGHT OF HAND
TO BALANCE AN EGG
Lay a looking glass upon an even table; take a fresh egg, and shake it
for some time, so that the yolk may be broken and mixed up with the
white. You may then balance it on its point, and make it stand on the
glass. This it would be impossible to do if the egg was in its natural
state.
THE JUGGLER'S LUNCH
Pare some large apples that are rather of a yellow tint; cut several
pieces out of them, in the shape of a candle-end, round, of course, at
the bottom, and square at the top; in fact, as much as possible like a
candle that has burnt down within an inch or so. Then, cut some slips
out of the insides of sweet almonds, fashion them as much in the shape
of spermaceti wicks as you can, stick them into your mock candles,
light them for an instant, so as to make their tops black, blow them
out again, and they are ready for use. When you produce them, light
them (the almond will readily take fire, and flame for a few moments),
put them into your mouth, chew and swallow them one after another.
RING AND RIBBON
Select two pieces of ribbon, alike in length, breadth, and color;
double each separately, so that the ends meet; then tie them together
neatly, with a bit of silk of their own color, by the middle, or
crease made in doubling them. This must all be done in advance. When
you are going to exhibit this trick, pass some rings on the doubled
ribbons, and give the two ends of one ribbon to one person to hold,
and the two ends of the other to another. Do not let them pull hard,
or the silk will break, and your trick be discovered by the rings
falling on the ground on account of the separation of the ribbons.
Request the two persons to approach each other, and take one end from
each of them, and without their perceiving it, return to each of them
the end which the other had previously held. By now giving the rings,
which appeared strung on the ribbon, a slight pull, you may break the
silk, and they will fall into your hand.
THE CHANGING BALL TRICK
Take a ball in each hand, and stretch your hands as far as you can,
one from the other; then state that you will contrive to make both the
balls come into either hand, without bringing the hands near each
other. If any one dispute your power of doing this, you have no more
to do than to lay one ball down upon the table, turn yourself, and
take it up with your other hand. Thus both the balls will be in one of
your hands, without their approaching each other.
THE SENSITIVE GOBLET
To fill a glass with water, so that no one may touch it without
spilling all the water. Fill a common glass or goblet with water, and
place upon it a bit of paper, so as to cover the water and edge of the
glass; put the palm of your hand on the paper, and taking hold of the
glass with the other, suddenly invert it on a very smooth table, and
gently draw out the paper; the water will remain suspended in the
glass, and it will be impossible to move the glass without spilling
all the water.
TO LIGHT A CANDLE BY SMOKE
When a candle is burnt so long as to leave a tolerably large wick,
blow it out; a dense smoke, which is composed of hydrogen and carbon,
will immediately rise. Then, if another candle, or lighted taper, be
applied to the utmost verge of this smoke, a very strange phenomenon
will take place. The flame of the lighted candle will be conveyed to
that just blown out, as if it were borne on a cloud, or, rather, it
will seem like a mimic flash of lightning proceeding at a slow rate.
THE MAGIC RE-ILLUMINATION
After having exhibited the trick of lighting a candle by smoke,
privately put a bit of paper between your fingers, and retire to one
corner of the room with a single candle, and pass the hand in which
you hold the paper several times slowly over the candle until the
paper takes fire; then immediately blow the candle out, and presently
pass your hand over the snuff and relight it with the paper. You may
then crumple the paper, at the same time extinguishing the flame, by
squeezing it suddenly, without burning yourself. If this trick be
performed dextrously, it is a very good one. It is not necessary for
the performance of this trick that all the other lights in the room
should be extinguished; in fact the trick is more liable to discovery
in a dark room, than in one where the candles are burning, on account
of the light thrown out by the paper while it is burning, previous to
the re-illumination.
THE MOVING BALL
Roll up a piece of paper, or other light substance, and privately put
into it any small insect, such as a lady-bird, or beetle; then, as the
creature will naturally endeavor to free itself from captivity, it
will move its covering toward the edge of the table, and when it comes
there, will immediately return, for fear of falling; and thus, by
moving backward and forward, will excite much diversion to those who
are ignorant of the cause.
THE PAPER FURNACE
Enclose a bullet in paper, as smoothly as possible, and suspend it
above the flame of a lamp or candle; you will soon see it melt and
fall, drop by drop, through a hole which it will make in the paper;
but the paper, except the hole mentioned, will not be burnt. The art
of performing this trick consists in using a smooth round bullet, and
enclosing it in the paper with but few folds or uneven places.
STORM AND CALM
Pour water into a glass until it is nearly three parts full; then
almost fill it up with oil; but be sure to leave a little space
between the oil and the top of the glass. Tie a bit of string round
the glass, and fasten the two ends of another piece of string to it,
one on each side, so that, when you take hold of the middle of it to
lift up the glass it may be about a foot from your hand Now swing the
glass to and fro, and the oil will be smooth and unruffled, while the
surface of the water beneath it will be violently agitated.
THE END.
End of Project Gutenberg's Healthful Sports for Boys, by Alfred Rochefort