The Magic Vase

Construct a vase of wood, or pasteboard, see Fig. 20. On the inside

let there be five divisions; two of them, c d, to be large enough to

admit a pack of cards each; and the other three, e f g, only large

enough to contain a single card. Place this vase on a bracket, L,

which is fastened to the partition M. Fix a silken thread at H, the

other end of which passes down the division d, and, over the pulley

I, runs along th bracket L, and goes out behind the partition M.






Take three cards from the piquet pack, and place one of them in each

of the divisions e f g, making the silk thread or line go under each

of them. In the division c put the remainder of the pack.



You then get another pack of cards, at the top of which are to be

three cards, the same as those in the three small divisions: and,

making the pass, bring them to the middle of the pack. Let them be

drawn by three persons; let them shuffle all the cards; after which

place the pack in the division d, and tell the parties that the

cards they drew will rise at their command, separately, from the vase.



A confederate behind the partition then gently drawing the line, the

three cards will then gradually appear from the vase; then taking the

cards from c, you show that those three are gone from the pack.



The vase must be placed so high that the company cannot see the

inside.