The Invisible Light

The magician places two common wax candles on a table, one of burning brightly, the other without a light. Members of the audience are allowed to inspect both the table and the candles.

The magician walks over to the burning candle, the light for a few seconds, turns to the audience with his hands a few inches apart, showing that there is nothing between , at the same time saying that he has a light between his hands, invisible to them (the audience), with which he is going to light the other candle. He then walks over to the other candle, and, in plain sight of the audience lights the candle apparently with nothing.

In reality the magician has a very fine wire in his hand which he is heating while he bends over the lighted candle, and the audience gaze on and see nothing. He turns to the other candle and touches a grain of phosphorus that has been previously concealed in the wick with the heated wire, thus causing it to light. --Contributed by C. Brown, New York City.

The Growing Flower

This trick is performed with a wide-mouthed jar which is about 10 in. high. If an earthen jar of this kind is not at hand, use a glass fruit jar and cover it with black cloth or paper, so the contents cannot be seen.

Flower Grows Instantly

Two pieces of wire are bent as shown in Fig. 1 and put together as in Fig. 2. These wires are put in the jar, about one-third the way down from the top, with the circle centrally located. The wires can be held in place by carefully bending the ends, or using small wedges of wood.

Cut a wire shorter in length than the height of the jar and tie a rose or several flowers on one end. Put a cork in the bottom of the jar and stick the opposite end of the wire from where the flowers are tied through the circle of the two wires and into the cork. The dotted lines in Fig. 3 show the position of the wires and flowers.

To make the flowers grow in an instant, pour water into the jar at one side of the wide mouth. The cork will float and carry the wire with the flowers attached upward, causing the flowers to grow, apparently, in a few seconds' time. Do not pour in too much water to raise the flowers so far that the wire will be seen. --Contributed by A. S. Macdonald, Oakland, Calif.

Water And Wine Trick

This is an interesting trick based on the chemical properties of acids and alkalies. The materials needed are: One glass pitcher, filled with water, four glass tumblers, an acid, an alkali and some phenolphthalein solution which can be obtained from your local druggist. Before the performance, add a few drops of the phenolphthalein to the water in the pitcher and rub a small quantity of the alkali solution on the sides of two of the tumblers and repeat, only using as large a quantity of the acid as will escape notice on the remaining tumblers. Set the tumblers so you will know which is which and proceed as follows: Take hold of a prepared tumbler with the left hand and pour from the pitcher, held in the right hand, some of the liquid. The liquid turned into the glass will become red like wine. Set this full tumbler aside and take the pitcher in the left hand and pour some of the liquid in one of the tumblers containing the acid as it is held in the right hand. There will be no change in color. Repeat both parts in the same order then begin to pour the liquids contained in the tumblers back into the pitcher in the order reversed and the excess of acid will neutralize the alkali and cause it to lose its color and in the end the pitcher will contain a colorless liquid. -Contributed by Kenneth Weeks, Bridgeton, N.J.

A Handkerchief Mended after Being Cut and Torn

Two persons are requested to come forward from the audience to hold the four corners of a handkerchief. Then beg several other handkerchiefs from the audience and place on the one held by the two persons. When several handkerchiefs have been accumulated, have some one person draw out one from the bunch and examine for any marks that will determine that this handkerchief is the one to be mended after being mutilated. He, as well as others, are to cut off pieces from this handkerchief and to finally tear it to pieces.

The pieces are then all collected and some magic spirits thrown over the torn and cut parts; tie in a small package with a ribbon and put them under a glass, which you warm with your hands. After a few seconds' time, you remove the glass, as you have held it all the time, and take the handkerchief and unfold it; everyone will recognize the mark and be amazed not to find a cut or tear in the texture.

This trick is very simple. You have an understanding with some one in the company, who has two handkerchiefs exactly alike and has given one of to a person behind the curtain; he throws the other, at the time of request for handkerchiefs, on the handkerchiefs held for use in the performance of the trick. You manage to keep this handkerchief where it will be picked out in preference to the others, although pretending to thoroughly mix them up. The person selected to pick out a handkerchief naturally will take the handiest one. Be sure that this is the right one.

When the handkerchief has been torn and folded, put it under the glass, on a table, near a partition or curtain. The table should be made with a hole cut through the top and a small trap door fitted snugly in the hole, so it will appear to be a part of the table top. This trap door is hinged on the under side and opens into the drawer of the table and can be operated by the person behind the curtain who will remove the torn handkerchief and replace it with the good one and then close the trap door by reaching through the drawer of the table.