Begin by rolling up the sleeves so that the arms are bared. Hold the
left-hand extended, palm upwards, and on the tip of each finger and
thumb balance a coin. Place the right hand on top of the left, so that
the money is held between the tips of the fingers of the two hands. Now
turn the hands until the back of the right hand is towards the audience,
as in Fig. 4. Fix your eyes on the ceiling, as if that had something to
do with the trick; move the hands rapidly upward and downward twice, and
while doing so bring the tips of the fingers together, causing the coins
to lap one over another. Then surround them, as it were, with the tips
of the left hand fingers and thumb, and quickly slide them down into the
right palm, where they are to be held by pressing on them with the tip
of the left thumb; finally, at almost the same moment make a third
upward move, keeping the hands together and the eyes fixed above; the
hands will appear to be empty and the coins to have vanished. Figs. 5
and 6 show the fronts and backs of the hands. During the applause which
always follows this trick, quietly withdraw your thumb, close the right
hand over the money, and put it noiselessly away, either in your pocket
or other receptacle.
The mere learning of a move like palming is hardly interesting unless it
avails for some trick. As "The Miser" is not suitable for all occasions,
here is a little trick which will answer to show my amateur friend's
proficiency:
Place two half-dollar's on a table. Pick up one with the right hand,
palm it, and pretend to place it in the left hand. To do this naturally
let the tips of the right-hand fingers touch the left hand, and at the
same time close that hand and draw the other away. To the general
spectator it will appear as if the coin really remained in the left
hand. Turn the left wrist, so that the back of the hand will be toward
your audience.
Now pick up the second coin with the tips of the right-hand fingers and
thumb, cry, "Pass!" Clink the two coins together, and it will seem as if
the left-hand coin had at that moment passed to the right.
Besides the method of palming described, which may be called the
orthodox, there are several other methods, one of which I will briefly
describe.
[Illustration: FIG. 7.]
[Illustration: FIG. 8.]
With the palm upward, hold the coin between the thumb and second finger
of the left hand, the tip of the forefinger touching it from below, as
in Fig. 7. Let the right thumb go under and the other fingers over it,
as if taking it. If at the same time you withdraw the right forefinger
and release the grasp of the thumb and second finger, the coin will fall
into the left palm, as in Fig. 8. Close the right hand and hold it
aloft, letting the left hand drop to the side or rest on the hip. The
effect is exactly as if the coin had been taken away by the right hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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