The Burglars--A Story Trick

In this story trick the four Jacks figure as burglars. It is advisable, though not absolutely necessary to have them in order of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, from the top, and to have a few cards between each one. This may be done in a moment or two by spreading the pack fanwise, finding the Jacks by their indices, and altering their positions as may be necessary.

Suppose this is done. You take the pack face up in your left hand, saying that you require the four Jacks. You run through the cards, pushing them off one by one into the right hand, till you come to the Jack of Clubs. Lift off the cards in your right hand and turn those in your left toward the spectators, showing the Jack. Push it slightly off the pack and bring the cards in your right hand over it again, but raise them so that this time they cover only the upper half of the Jack. (Fig. 7-A). Grip it at the back with the tip of the right second finger and then bring the right hand packet down flush with the rest of the pack. The result will be that the Jack of Clubs will protrude half its length below the deck. (Fig. 7-B).

This should be done fairly and openly. You have simply found the first Jack and you have pushed it halfway out of the pack.

You continue to run over the faces of the cards until you come to the Jack of Diamonds. Here the trickery begins. Before you lift off the right hand packet to show the Diamond Jack you push the next card squarely behind it, then push the two as one, a little off the pack as you did the Club Jack. Remove the right hand packet and show the Jack of Diamonds. You hold it squarely towards spectators and they have no reason to suspect anything if you work easily and smoothly.

Bring the right hand packet on the upper half of this Jack (and the indifferent card concealed behind it) and clip the two cards, as one, with the tip of your right second finger as you did the first Jack. Again bring the right hand packet down flush with the rest of the cards. You now have two Jacks protruding below the pack, and the second one has an indifferent card concealed behind it.

The third Jack, the Jack of Hearts, you treat in exactly the same way as the second, that is to say, you secure the card following it and bring them both down together as one card.

The last card, the Jack of Spades, you push out alone, and here to make your previous actions more convincing, you may "accidentally" let it fall on the table. In picking it up you cause it to protrude with the other three. Run through the remaining cards quickly, close up the pack in your left hand, holding it facing the audience, and daintily pull out the protruding Jacks. If you hold the ends of the cards firmly this is perfectly safe, and, since you have not squared the pack exactly, parts of the faces of all four Jacks will show.

Properly done, no one can have any suspicion that you have anything more than the four Jacks. However, you do not hesitate. You at once hand the pack to a spectator asking him to take out the King of Clubs. "These four Jacks", you say, "are four bold bad burglars, and, if you can exercise sufficient imagination, please try to think of the pack as the residence of one of our multi-millionaires, one of those who hasn't paid any income tax. The burglars have planned a raid." You square the Jacks and lay the packet on top of the pack which you hold face down in your left hand.

"The first one, the Jack of Spades, goes into the basement, ready for any dirty work he may have to do." You turn the top card over, show it is the Jack of Spades, take it off and put it on the bottom of the pack. Lift the pack squarely to the audience to show it. To do this you grip the pack between right thumb at the inner end, second and third fingers at the outer end. This by way of illustration that the cards should always be held as openly and as much in full view as possible, and graceful gestures should be cultivated.

In addition to being graceful, however, you have taken the opportunity to lift the inner ends of the two top cards a little with the ball of the right thumb. You do this by sense of touch alone, there is no need to look at the cards.

Replace the pack face down in your left hand and at once slip the tip of your left little finger between the two top cards and the rest of the deck. These two cards, you will remember, are an indifferent card followed by the Jack of Hearts. You turn these two as one card, showing the Jack of Hearts.

"This Jack", you continue, "has been assigned to the living rooms on account of his taking ways. In ease of accident his appearance will carry him through as he is used to mixing with the elite." You turn the two cards down, take off the top card, the indifferent card, and push it in the lower third part of the deck.

The Jack of Hearts is now on the top and you have to get that card out of the way. You take the pack in your right hand, turn it over and show the Jack of Spades. "Still doing spade work in the basement," you remark. Turn the cards down again on the left hand, pushing off the top card, the Jack of Hearts, with the left thumb into the right palm, and immediately afterward drawing it under the pack by extending the left fingers. The action is covered by turning the back of the right hand to the audience, and then squaring the pack with the usual motion of the hand.

"We have two of the rascals in action," you continue, and as you talk you again separate the inner ends of the two top cards ready for the pick-up as one card. "Here is the third, the Jack of Diamonds. Being a specialist in precious stones he is sent to ransack the bedrooms." You turn over the two cards as one, showing the Jack of Diamonds, turn them down again, and, taking off the indifferent card, you insert it in the upper third of the pack. You are, of course, careful not to allow anyone to see the faces of the cards actually placed in the pack.

You now have two Jacks on the top, the Jack of Diamonds and under it the Jack of Clubs. Once more you turn two as one showing the Jack of Clubs. "This fellow, being an athlete, all ready for a rough and tumble, enters the house through the roof." You take the top card, face to yourself, then lift the edge of the next card so that its back is to the spectators, and put the card under it. "He finds a convenient trap door and in he goes."

"Unfortunately for the gang, an alarm is raised. A phone call goes through to the Police Station and--may I trouble you for that King of Clubs? -- Here is the Sergeant. He rushes up the fire escape to take the rascals in the rear. (Put the King on top of the pack). There is a general commotion"--Yon cut the pack--"and with his usual success, we find he has captured the whole gang." Run through the cards, faces to the front and show the King with two Jacks on each side of him.