A Baffling Spell

In this experiment a new and bewildering twist is given to the popular Spelling Bee Trick.

Effect:--A spectator takes a card at random from a shuffled pack and lays it aside face down. The deck is again shuffled by a spectator and he selects from it any card he pleases. This card is returned to the pack, which is shuffled and laid on the table. The first card selected is then turned over and, on spelling it in the usual manner, that is, taking a card from the top of the pack for each letter, the second chosen card is revealed on the last letter.

Method:--The puzzling part of the feat is that the performer himself does not know the identity of the first card selected until it is turned up, yet the trick is sure fire. The principle on which it rests is this: There are 27 cards in the pack which, with the addition of the word "of" are spelled with either eleven or twelve letters. If, therefore, it is so arranged that the first card is selected from the twenty-seven cards, it will not matter which one is selected and the performer has no need to know it until it is turned over. By placing a card twelfth from the top it will appear on the last letter when a twelve letter card is spelled out and in case of an eleven letter card having been chosen, you have only to say as the card for the last letter is taken, "And the next card is yours," and turn that card over.

The twenty-seven cards are the Ace, two, four, five, six, nine, ten, Jack and King of Hearts and Spades, and all the clubs except the Ace, two, six and ten. If you use this feat as an opener, you can have these cards already on the top of the pack, though it is an easy matter to get them separated openly. You have only to remember, as you run through the pack, professedly to count the cards, to run all the diamonds, the ace, two, six and ten of clubs and the three, seven, eight and Queen of Spades and Hearts to the back of the other cards. Suppose you have done this, as the pack stands, you have twenty-five unsuitable cards on the top followed by the twenty-seven cards from which a selection has to be made.

You run off, by an overhand shuffle, twelve or thirteen cards from the top, thus bringing the suitable cards to the middle portion of the deck. False shuffle several times and place the pack down. Now if you ask a spectator to cut it into two parts, it is practically certain that he will make his cut near the middle. The chance that he cuts anywhere but among the twenty-seven cards, which form the middle portion, is so small that it is negligible. You instruct the spectator to take the top card of the lower part of the pack, after the cut and lay it aside face down, without looking at it himself, or allowing anyone else to see what it is.

You hand the pack to another spectator asking him to shuffle it, then withdraw any card he wishes and return the pack to you. You tell him that you will turn your back for a moment and he is then to hold up his card for all to see. You say you do this because the feat which follows is so extraordinary you wish to avoid all posssibility of him being suspected of having helped you in the denouement.

You turn away and rapidly count off eleven cards from the top and hold the packet of eleven cards separated from the rest of the pack, the thumb holding the division at the back, (you hold the pack by the ends) and the little finger at the front. If you keep your fingers pressed close together this division will be quite invisible from the front. You turn to .the audience again and go to the person who chose the card just shown to the spectators. You ask him to replace it in the pack and, holding your left hand under your right, you drop about a quarter of the pack, then several more packets of cards and finally all those under the division made below the eleven cards you counted off. The chosen card is placed on top of this last packet and you drop the eleven cards on it. You do all this openly and keep the fingers of the left hand extended, but do not be tempted to say. "You see I do not insert any of my fingers and I do not hold any break," or anything like that.

Square the pack fairly and slowly, turning it around to show all its sides even, and then place it on the table. Now, having done the trick in reality, it is your cue to impress on the audience the marvellous thing you are going to do. You call attention to the fact that the card now lying face down was chosen at random by a free cut by one of themselves, that you do not know, that nobody can possibly know, what it is, that a second card has been deliberately selected from the pack by another person, and that this has been replaced at random in the pack.

You say you will order this card to place itself in such position in the pack that by spelling out the first card, a card for each letter, it will appear on the last letter, "A manifest impossibility," you say. Then you have the first card chosen turned up. You spell its name, daintly drawing off one card from the top of the deck for each letter. Do this deliberately and drop each card separately on the table.

If the card proves to be a twelve letter card, when you come to the last letter, you ask the spectator to name the card he chose and then turn the twelfth card dramatically. On the other hand, if it is an eleven letter card, take off the eleventh card and say, "And the very next card is yours. Will you kindly name it?" Then you turn it over With a flourish.