Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
750
Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
572
THE
DIE
DISSOLVING
IN
A
POCKET
HANDKERCHIEF.--The
trick
last
described
has
two
drawbacks--first,
that
it
is
very
generally
known,
and,
second,
that
the
principle
is
rather
too
obvious,
the
secret
being
very
easily
guessed,
even
by
persons
not
endowed
with
special
sagacity.
There
is,
however,
an
improved
form
of
the
same
trick,
in
which
an
additional
element
is
introduced,
whereby
these
disadvantages
are,
to
a
great
extent,
removed.
The
apparatus
used
is
the
same
as
in
the
last
case,
with
the
addition
of
a
coloured
handkerchief,
prepared
as
follows:
Five
square
pieces
of
stout
pasteboard,
each
a
shade
larger
than
one
side
of
the
solid
die,
are
joined
together
with
hinges
of
tape
or
cloth,
in
the
form
shown
by
the
dotted
lines
in
Fig.
251.
The
centre
piece,
a,
is
attached
to
the
middle
of
the
handkerchief,
the
others
being
allowed
to
hang
loose
upon
their
respective
hinges.
A
second
handkerchief
of
similar
pattern
is
then
laid
upon
the
first,
and
the
edges
of
the
two
are
stitched
together
all
round.
The
performer
having
exhibited
the
solid
die
and
cover,
as
already
explained,
and
having
removed
the
latter
(with
the
hollow
die
within
it),
places
it
upon
the
table.
Spreading
the
prepared
handkerchief
beside
it,
he
places
the
solid
die
upon
the
centre
of
the
handkerchief,
and
gathering
up
the
four
corners
of
the
latter,
lifts
it,
bag-fashion,
with
his
left
hand,
the
four
loose
flaps
of
pasteboard
naturally
folding
themselves
up
around
the
die.
He
now
takes
it
with
his
right
hand,
clipping
the
solid
die
within
the
pasteboard,
and
turns
the
whole
over
as
in
Fig.
252,
thus
bringing
the
die
uppermost,
with
the
folds
of
the
handkerchief
hanging
down
around
it.
He
next
takes
in
the
left
hand
a
borrowed
hat,
holding
it
up
for
a
moment,
to
show
that
it
is
empty.
Then,
turning
it
mouth
upwards,
he
remarks,
“I
will
place
the
die
here
in
the
hat.”
Suiting
the
action
to
the
word,
he
lowers
his
hand
into
the
hat,
but,
as
if
suddenly
bethinking
himself,
he
says,
“No!
I
won’t
use
the
hat
at
all.
Perhaps
some
one
will
kindly
hold
the
die.”
In
withdrawing
his
hand,
however,
he
relaxes
the
pressure
of
his
fingers,
thereby
leaving
the
solid
die
in
the
hat,
though
as
the
folded
pasteboard
retains
its
cubical
shape,
the
handkerchief
still
appears
to
contain
the
die.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
