A Mediumistic Stunt

I use the following a great deal when introducing any spiritual effects and remark that it is a little effort to get my mental faculties collected so as to continue.

You must have at least two people sitting and on table you have a deck of cards and three envelopes that nest, the inner one being large enough to hold a card. Pick up deck and shuffling you say you want person to select a card a little differently than usual and she is to take out a bunch of six or seven cards from deck. You place deck on table and turn back while she picks out any of those in her hand and seals inside of the three envelopes.

While she is doing this you take a bunch of cards and fanning them face towards another sitter have her mentally select one of them and then you mix cards and lay face up on table and taking her hand in yours pass it over the cards and stop on her card. Now asking person for the envelope it is placed on your left palm and with due meditation you get a picture of the card and name it.

All pure bunk and a little showmanship. The deck is in the Si Stebbins order to begin with and is false shuffled and cut. The first person takes out a bunch and deck is laid aside. She takes one out of this bunch somewhere among them so it is impossible to tell and of course this makes a break in the system of what cards she is holding.

While she is sealing up the card you pick up the bunch and fanning face up to another party for above reason you have ample time to note what card is missing and so there you are.

The effect with the second person can be what you choose as long as you have a good excuse to fan out the cards. I do the above and rely on finding the right one by the old muscle reading principle, or you could take a chance by leaving one in the fan a little more prominently displayed and by showing them hurriedly the chances are that that will be the one mentally selected. At any rate even if a failure is made here it is offset by the reading of the card in envelope and as the effect is made to get your mind into condition for mental work, nothing is thought of this one failure.