The Divining Card

Provide a pack in which there is a long card; open it at that part

where the long card is, and present the pack to a person in such a

manner that he will naturally draw that card. You then tell him to put

it into any part of the pack, and shuffle the cards. You take the

pack, and offer the same card in like manner to a second or third

person, taking care that they do not stand near enough to see the card

each other dra s.



You then draw several cards yourself, among which is the long card,

and ask each of the parties if his card be among those cards, and he

will naturally say yes, as they have all drawn the same card. You

then shuffle all the cards together, and, cutting them at the long

card, you hold it before the first person, so that the others may not

see it, and tell him that is his card. You then put it in the pack,

shuffle it, cut it again at the same card, and hold it to the second

person.



You can perform this recreation without the long card, in the

following manner:



Let a person draw any card, and replace it in the pack. You then make

the pass, (see p. 107,) and bring that card to the top of the pack,

and shuffle them, without losing sight of that card. You then offer

that card to a second person, that he may draw it, and put it in the

middle of the pack. You make the pass, and shuffle the cards a

second time in the same manner, and offer the card to a third person,

and so again to a fourth or fifth.