THE HICKS ONE-HANDED BILL IN ORANGE
By HERBERT HICKSIt's a slicker. So's my raincoat. So when I get thru, if yer think I'm all wet, I got sumthin' ter perfect myself, and this is it:--The orange can be thrown from the audience, caught by the performer in one hand (after being examined)... and the rest is easy. I guess I better go ter the blackboard and illustrate this. No. 1 shows a bent piece of tin and a part of an 8d nail. The bill is wrapped around the nail and inserted in recess in torpedo "warhead" which enters the orange and remains there out of sight carrying in the dollar while the nail is withdrawn and immediately "lost."
The "warhead" can be easily made from 1/2 iron, drilled and ground to shape. Use two new dollar bills with the Fig. 3 on one of 'em made to look like an 8 on the other. This can be done by using a fine pen and a blue ink. Just insert the 8d nail in bent tin, or zinc, and squeeze in a vice. It will stay put.
You can work your own routine on this. All yet have to do is to have the dollar prepared, and when you go down in the audience to borrow a dollar bill, start to roll it up, exchange it for yours, and then, as an afterthought, unroll it and have some other spectator take down the numbers. Then you can vanish it in any way you want. And when you return to the platform, throw out the fruit and have it examined, tell your audience that you're only gonna use one hand when you catch it... which you do. And I allers gets a goldinged big laugh when I tell them they've thrown fruit to me so often I thought it would be about time I threw some at them. And then I toss the orange.
This is my own idea and I hope you think it's right smart. Kinda a little embarrassed to appear before a bunch of honest-ter-goodness magicians, but hope you liked it, hope you're gonna use it, and I bid you all good night.
Thanks, Herbert. Thanks for a new wrinkle that the boys will use. I told you Herbert was from Maine, didn't I? Let me tell you about the Farmer that came down from Bert's home town. This happened yars and yars ago. The farmer went in a store and while inside, the phone rang. The proprietor walked over to the phone, and took off the receiver and started to talk. When he got through, the farmer said, "Well, Mister, I may look green, but if you think you can make me believe your wife was in that little box there, you're badly mistaken."
Years ago, when I was on the Canadian Chautauquas, I played two weeks in Winnipeg, Canada. Winnipeg's a pretty place... has a beautiful golf course... but no matter how pretty the city is, you can't help feel lonesome at times... but I wasn't lonesome in Winnipeg because that's the place I met, for the first time, the young man I'm going to introduce to you now. He made my stay very pleasant... fooled me on all kinds of tricks... took me to his home to dinner... and showed me the town. Everybody likes him... and I know now you'll be pleased to hear from our old friend,
TOM BOWYER OF WINNIPEG, CANADA