forget it temporarily, and then cut to it later after shuffling the deck legitimately.

The
audience will accept the apparently haphazard cut just as readily, if not more so, than
turning up the top of the deck.

FLIGHTY ACES
LU BRENT

For a non-sleight and practical club or stage method, we have never run across an idea to
compare with the following. While not differing radically from the orthodox Ace routine,
this method of Lu Brent's will truly baffle the most observing audience.

The four Aces are withdrawn openly from the pack and are placed in a face up row on a
display easel. Twelve odd cards are dealt from the pack in groups of three, each group
being dealt face down on a different Ace in an overlapping position so that the top part of
each Ace is visible. (The best type of easel for this effect is one that has a ledge about an
inch from the bottom. Thus the Aces are placed on the ledge, and the odd cards are dealt
against the Aces with the base of the cards resting on the table.)

A spectator is now invited to assist by naming any one of the four Aces. This is a free
choice, and the Ace named together with its three accompanying cards are picked up,
placed in an envelope and given to the spectator to hold. The remaining three Aces,
together with their accompanying odd cards, are gathered up, placed in a second envelope
and are retained by the performer. Upon a mystical formula being pronounced, an
invisible flight takes place! The spectator's envelope is found to contain the four Aces,
while in the performer's envelope twelve odd cards are found. Everything may now be
examined, and the deck contains but its regular 52 cards and may be used immediately
for further card tricks.

The requirements for this astoundingly clean effect are 12 extra Aces, consisting of three
sets of four each, three business envelopes, a pencil and, of course, a deck of cards. Now
remove any 12 odd cards from the pack, reverse every fourth card, and seal this packet in
one of the envelopes. Mark the face of this envelope with a large numeral "2", and put it
in your inside coat pocket.

The twelve Aces are now arranged on the top of the deck, face down, ready for dealing
and in a pre-arranged order depending upon the order you intend to use in displaying the
four regular Aces during the effect. For instance, if you display the regular Aces from left
to right as Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades, then your stack of extra Aces on top of
the deck should be, reading from the top down: Club, Diamond, Spade; Heart, Diamond,
Spade; Heart, Club, Spade; and Heart, Club, Diamond. The four regular Aces belonging
to the deck are scattered through the lower part of the pack.

To perform, exhibit the two remaining envelopes and the deck of cards. Remove the deck
from its case, fan it keeping the duplicate Aces at the top together in a closed group.
Remove the four regular Aces from the lower part of the deck and place them one at a

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time, and face outwards, on the display stand. The first Ace being placed on the left end
of the stand, and the others to the right of it in the usual 2, 3, 4, order. The deck is now
given a dovetail shuffle without disturbing the twelve extra Aces on top, and the
statement is made that each Ace being displayed will be given three cards for company.
Do this by dealing three cards (Aces) from the top of the deck onto each of the four Aces
on the stand, leaving the top portion of each Ace visible, as already explained.

Now invite any spectator to call out the name of any Ace, allowing him to change his
mind as often as he likes until he is perfectly satisfied. Take the Ace packet selected and,
without reversing the Ace so that it is facing the same way as the three odd cards, place it
in one of the envelopes. Seal it and mark it with a large numeral "I." Hand this to the
assisting spectator, who is asked to initial it and place it in his pocket.

The remaining Ace heaps are now gathered up and placed in the second envelopes on
which you write a large numeral "2", saying, "I will place this envelope in my pocket as
you have done. Oh! I beg your pardon, I forgot to have you initial my envelope." As you
say this, you are placing your envelope into your inside coat pocket, so bring it out again
immediately and have the spectator initial it. Actually, you switch envelopes and bring
forth the duplicate bearing the numeral "2" which you had there before the trick began.
There should be no hesitation; the action should be timed perfectly with your patter, so
that it appears as though you were just placing the envelope in your inside coat pocket but
changed your mind and brought it out again immediately.

After the spectator initials your envelope, you have another thought and place the
envelope in your outside breast pocket, and ask the spectator to do the same with his
envelope, "so that everyone may see the flight of the cards." As the working of the trick
is already done, the climax depends upon the individual performer's ability to build it up.
When the magic words are spoken, the performer's envelope is torn open and twelve
indifferent cards are found, four of which are reversed in the packet as they should be.
Now the spectator opens his envelope and finds the four Aces!

Everything is clean. The envelopes may be tossed out, and the deck is again a complete
one of 52 cards. A trial will convince you of the effectiveness of this routine, for there is
no forcing, no indirect action, and no sleights.

A QUESTION OF POWER
L. VOSBURGH LYONS

Methods of revealing a number of chosen cards are legion, but here is a new and different
way that lends itself to an interesting line of patter.

Three cards are selected and returned to the pack you hold, as you explain that tricksters
usually locate cards by exercising a strange power which enables them to make cards
appear at any position in the deck. The most common position, of course, being the top of
the deck.

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