The Automatic Speller
Mylon Clayton

This trick makes a good follow-up for the preceding feat. Assert that the spelling process is entirely automatic, that the cards arrange themselves without any interference whatever from you. To prove this have a spectator shuffle the deck to his own satisfaction and tell him that from first to last you will not touch the cards. Let him turn the deck, after the shuffle, and run over the faces of the cards so that he can see for himself they are well mixed. At the same time you make a mental note of the bottom card.

Instruct him to put out three piles of six cards each, face up on the table. He will probably take the cards from the bottom of the pack as it lies face up in his hands. If he does, dismiss the card you just noted from your mind and note the bottom card of those remaining after the heaps have been dealt. The rest of the pack is laid aside face downward. It is the bottom card of this portion that you have just noted, this is your key card. Don't forget it.

If, however, he turns the pack over and deals the three heaps of six cards from the top, then the bottom card of the pack, which you have already noted, will be the key card.

In either case tell him to choose mentally one of the heaps. Turn away and instruct him to turn the piles face down, then to take any card from the pile he mentally selected, look at it; commit it to memory and place it on top of either of the other heaps. He is then to put the remaining cards of the pile he chose, mixing them first if he pleases, oh top of his card and finally to take the last heap, shuffle it and put it on top of the other two. The resulting pile you tell him to place on top of the rest of the deck and cut the pack thus reassembled. At this point you turn round and see that a complete, regular cut is made.

You will readily follow the subtlety of the procedure so far. Five cards and then six more have been put on top of the chosen card and the cut has brought your key card immediately above these eleven cards. It follows that if the pack is again cut to bring the key card to the bottom, the chosen card will be the twelfth card from the top, ready to be spelt out as usual. But to the uninitiated the selected card has been utterly lost in the deck and there would seem to be no way of finding it other than to have it named and the deck searched for it. Make a great point of this before going any further.

To prove how thoroughly the cards have been mixed you have the spectator deal them out from the top face up. You are carelessly strolling about, apparently taking no note of the cards, but you know just about when your key card will appear and when it falls you stop the deal with the remark that everybody should be quite satisfied that he shuffled the cards very thoroughly. Tell him to turn the cards just dealt face down and place them under the rest in his hand. You now have the chosen card twelfth from the top.

Ask the name of the selected card. Tell the spectator to concentrate deeply on that card, to give the deck a little shake to help the cards rearrange themselves automatically, and so on. Then tell him to spell out the name of his card, taking off a card for each letter and, to his astonishment his card is turned at the end of the spelling.

But, you will pertinently remark, every card in the pack is not spelled with twelve letters. That is quite true and since you cannot manipulate the cards in any way, the sole effect depending on your not touching the cards from first to last, you will have to "manipulate" the spelling. The majority of the cards, by adding the word "of" can be spelled with either eleven or twelve letters. Thus "Four of Hearts", twelve letters, "Two of Spades", eleven letters. In the case of twelve letter cards the card must be turned on the last letter, for eleven letter cards have the card following the last letter turned up.

For the 3, 7, 8 and queen of hearts and spades simply omit the word "of" and turn the twelfth card; spell the suit first.

For diamonds proceed thus: if the card is a 3, 7, 8 or queen you say, "What was the suit? Diamond? All right, spell that out." That disposes of seven cards, so you have five left for the spots or queen, the card appears and is turned on the last letter.

For the ace, 2, 6 and 10 of diamonds you must add the "s" so making eleven letters and turn next card, and the same treatment with the 4, 5, 9, jack and king will bring the card out on the eleventh letter.

All the club cards come out at 11 or 12 letters with the exception of the ace, 2, 6 and ten. With these you must add "an" or "a". Thus for the ace you will at once say, "You chose an ace of clubs?" Very well, spell that out." The ace appears on the last letter. The addition of the word "a" to the other three will give eleven letters and turning the card following will make all right. A little practice will make the right method of spelling almost automatic.

I am indebted to Mr. Mihlon Clayton, of Asbury Park, for this clever arrangement.