Three Blind Mice.
By Will Blyth, M.I.M.C.
(As presented by the author at the Magic Circle Children's Entertainment.)

This is a suitable item for a children's show. The story is familiar to all, and there should be no difficulty in maintaining the interest of children of alt ages throughout the presentation.

Effect--
Three mice, cut from brown, white, and blue papers respectively, have their tails severed. The mice, together with their separated tails, are placed in a box. When removed, each tail is found attached to a mouse of another colour. These are then placed into a cylinder, and when finally removed, each tail is found restored to the mouse corresponding to its colour.

Requirements--
Nine mice with long tails, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Three of these are cut from brown paper, three from white paper, and three from blue paper. One set of mice have their tails cut off and stuck on again to different colours; thus the brown mouse has a blue tail, the white mouse has a brown tail, and the blue mouse has a white tail.

Two methods for changing articles, such as the Changing Card Box; Changing Bag; Handkerchief Globe, etc. I use a Handkerchief Changing Cylinder (divided diagonally with a partition), and Wilford Hutchinson's Doll's House Changing Box.

A large property carving knife as shown in Fig 2 is also required. This is cut from stiff cardboard. The blade is covered with silver paper and the handle with black paper.

Preparation--
The set of mice with the transposed tails is concealed under the spring flap of the Doll's House. One set of mice (brown, white, and blue) is placed in one end of the handkerchief cylinder; the remaining set of mice is displayed upon the conjurer's table, together with the loaded changing devices and the wand.

Presentation--
The three mice are shown, and the old thyme sung by the children. A girl assistant from the audience cuts off the tails with the carving knife. They are placed in the "Cottage Hospital" to have their tails mended. A new verse is now sung or recited by the performer, and when the mice are taken from the "Cottage Hospital" they are found to have had the tails fixed in the wrong colours. The three mice are then placed in the "Magician's Castle" (the handkerchief cylinder) and are finally taken from it with their tails properly restored.

Patter--
"Boys and girls, we are now going to sing together a little musical rhyme which I daresay most of you have sung at some time or another. You and I will sing it as a duet, with pianoforte accompaniment, that is of course provided our pianist is able to play the music. (Pianist plays the opening bars.) That's the idea! Now then, boys and girls, all together! (Performer conducts with wand.)

Three blind mice! Three blind mice!
See how they run! See how they run!
They all run after the farmer's wife,
She cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such fun in your life
As three blind mice!

"Splendid! I think we did that very well, don't you? (Performer claps hands applaudingly.) Having sung the pathetic words I am going to show you how it is possible to make the mice 'live happily ever afterwards' as the fairy stories say. Now the song gives us three characters: the mice, the farmer's wife, and the carving knife. Firstly then, here are the three blind mice, with their little tails all complete. (Hold up the three paper mice by their tails.) I may hold the mice up like this, but a little boy told me the other day that you must not hold a guinea pig up by its tail, or its eyes would drop out.

"Here is the formidable tail-cutting knife. I have not brought a farmer's wife with me, so I shall have to borrow one. Would any little girl mind assisting me by acting for a time as the farmer's wife? Thank you. Please take the carving knife and he very careful not to cut your fingers.

"Here are the three mice. (Performer holds mice between both hands so that the tails may be easily cut.) Now don't be faint-hearted, but like a good little farmer's wife, cut the tails off the three blind mice. Oh, how cruel! I don't mean that you are cruel, dear, I mean how cruel of the song to leave those poor blind and tailess mice to fight their way through this hard, cold, catty world in that condition, and without arranging for a doctor to mend their little tails. I therefore propose to send them to the cottage hospital for tail-less mice. Here it is. (Show Doll's House to be empty.)

"Now the poor mice enter the hospital, followed by their tails. Now that they are safely inside I will close the sliding roof. (Shut roof and release spring flap). Now there is a very clever doctor who attends this hospital; his name is Dr. Wand, and here he is. (Hold up wand.) Dr. Wand now applies his healing powers. While the healing process is taking place, I will sing you another verse that will suit the present occasion.

Three blind stumpy mice!
Three blind stumpy mice!
Poor little things! Poor little things!
Away to the hospital all of them run
Where the Doctor stuck on their tails with gum,
So now they are pleased and get plenty of fun,
Those three blind mice.

"Now we will see whether Dr. Wand has been able to mend their tails. (Conjurer opens Doll's House and produces the mice with the mixed tails.) Dear me, this is most unfortunate. Here is Brownie with Bluie's tail, Whitie with Brownie's tail, and Bluie with Whitie's tail. However, I will try to put matters right. This is a magician's castle (Show handkerchief cylinder) which you see is now empty. The mice can go in there, and we will shut the door. (Place lid on cylinder.) Now a touch with the magician's wand, and we will open the door again. (Reverse the cylinder and remove the other lid.) Here are the three blind mice with their proper tails, and as our song says--

"So now they are pleased and get plenty of fun,
Those three blind mice."

I have not gone into detail as to the construction of the Changing Box and Handkerchief Cylinder as both are stock accessories and will be familiar to any well read magician. It is not in every conjurer's ability to successfully present magic to very young children, but "Story Magic" will be found a great help as the youngsters are certainly familiar with the Legends and Rhymes; their imagination, too, is fresh and responsive. Those magicians who have not yet ventured in "Story Magic" would do well to give the foregoing a trial.