Page:Magic oracle, or, Conjuror's guide.pdf/12

 into the dough, and then took their departure. The ancient dame left the care of the cooking to her granddaughter, and betook herself to church, charging her to be careful in skimming the pot, wherein were contained the dumplings and a leg of mutton. The girl was very watchful to obey those injunctions, and taking off the cover, when the pot boiled, out popped a dumpling, which she put in again, when out bounced another, and another after that, so terrifying the girl that she ran with all her speed to the church. Grandmother seeing her come, shook her head, winked at her, as much as to say, “begone!” At last the girl cried out before the whole congregation, “All your nodding and winking is in vain, for the leg of mutton has kicked the dumplings out of the pot.”

Feats performed through the medium of quicksilver should bo executed with the greatest caution, as there is some danger attending them.

This feat, strange as it appears, is very simple: the performer must have a confederate, who has two handkerchiefs of the same quality, and with the same mark, one of which he throws upon the stage to perform the feat with. The performer takes care to put this handkerchief uppermost in making up a bundle, though he affect to mix them together promiscuously. The person whom he desires to draw one of the handkerchiefs, naturally takes that which comes first to hand. He desires to shake them again to embellish the operation, but in so doing, takes care to bring the right handkerchief uppermost, and carefully fixes upon some simpleton to draw; and if he find that he is not likely to take the first that comes to hand, he prevents him from drawing by fixing upon another, under pretence of his having a more sagacious look. When the handkerchief is torn and carefully folded up, it is put under a glass upon a table placed near a partition. On that part of the table on which it is deposited is a little trap, which opens and lets it fall into a drawer. The confederate, concealed behind the curtain, passes his hand within the table, opens the trap and substitutes the second handkerchief instead of the first; then shuts the trap, which fits so exactly the hole it closes, as to deceive the eyes of the most incredulous. If the performer be not possessed of such a table (which is absolutely necessary for other feats as well as this,) he must have the second handkerchief in his pocket, and by slight of hand change it for the pieces, which must be instantaneously concealed.