Now turn bag wrong side out again with the trick opening toward you. Egg is, of course, on right side of bag at the top of it, which is held downward, Figure 35.

Cover trick opening with thumb, holding the bag by the right corner in the right hand. Turn this side of bag to audience and back again toward yourself, Figure 36.

Of course, there is excitement in the audience for they KNOW that you placed egg in your pocket. You are working for this excitement and the comedy touch and you pretend not to notice what the audience is saying.

"There, I have turned the bag inside out and outside in to show you that the egg has disappeared."

The audience will be saying, "It's in your pocket." You assume great surprise and say,

"In my pocket? No, no, there is nothing in my pocket."

Turn your left trouser's pocket out and replace. Audience says, "No, the other pocket."

"Oh, yes, the other pocket ..."

Show your vest pocket. As the audience insists that you have the egg in your other pocket, show your coat pockets.

Finally, pretend that you at last understand what they mean.

"Oh, you mean in my trouser's pocket? Oh, no, there is nothing there. Now, we'll continue."

As you have not shown your right trouser's pocket, the audience is convinced that the egg is there. The excitement grows greater than ever.

Now turn your right trouser's pocket inside out. It is empty, of course.

THE AUDIENCE IS AMAZED.

"Well, John, the egg flew away. This egg, however, came from a homing pigeon and it takes after the pigeon. If you take it away, it flies back again, invisibly, because it travels so fast. The egg is now back in the bag."

Peep inside of bag, but do not let anyone else look inside. By this time, have bag right end up. The egg, of course, automatically drops into the bag through the trick opening.

"There it is, back in the bag."

Drop hand with bag to your side for a moment. Pretend that you are not going to show egg to audience. Of course, they are not going to take your word that the egg is in the bag. But you continue in an unconcerned manner.

"Now, for our next trick, Frances."

Excitement in audience has started again for they are not satisfied that the egg is in the bag. In answer to their remarks, you say,

"Oh, pardon me—pardon me. Frances, reach into the bag." Frances brings the egg out.

"There's the egg. Perhaps, John, you would like to have me explain this to you in a clear, concise manner. First of all, you get an egg and a little cloth bag this size. Then you put the egg into the bag." Place the egg in the bag with your right hand.

"Having put the egg into the bag, you take it out again. You must keep your hand closed over the egg and the back of your hand toward the audience so that they cannot see it, and slip the egg into your pocket."

Take egg from bag with fingers curled over the egg to hold it easily. Show how egg is held and slip hand into right trouser's pocket.

"But you do not leave it in the pocket. You take it out again and slip it underneath your arm next to your coat and keep it there with the pressure of your arm."

Take egg from pocket again and place it up under your left arm so that you can hold it easily in place by slight pressure of the arm, Figure 37.

Hold egg with right hand and raise left arm a little to show that egg is under arm pit.

"As the pocket is empty, it is easy to show it empty. And as there is nothing in the bag, it certainly isn't difficult to show it empty. Now when you want the egg again, just reach up under your left arm with your right hand, let the egg fall into your hand, and then reach into the bag and bring out the egg."

Reach up under arm and take egg in right hand, curling your fingers over it. Reach into bag with back of hand to audience and bring out the egg at your thumb and finger tips.

"I is just an easy trick after all, isn't it? I'll show you once more how to do it, in case you didn't follow it."

Place egg in bag again with right hand just as you did before, getting egg into trick opening. Figure 34. Turn opening of bag downward so that egg falls to top of bag. Figure 34A.

"Place the egg in the bag. Then take egg out again, keeping back of hand to audience."

Pretend to take egg out, back of hand to audience, but actually leave it in the secret pocket of the bag. Place hand in pocket as though putting egg there.

"Then you take egg out of pocket again and place it up under your arm."

Take hand from pocket as though holding egg and pretend to place egg under left arm pit. Hold left arm pressed awkwardly against you as though you had an egg under it.

"Then turn the bag inside out and, of course, there is no egg in it."

Turn bag inside out several times. The egg, of course, is in it, but the audience is not aware of this. They think your explanation is bona fide.

With bag turned right side out again, hold it in left hand, opening downward.

"Of course, the egg under the arm is perfectly safe unless you should accidentaly lift up your arm."

Raise up your arm as you say this to show that egg is gone. Turn your left side to audience to convince them that egg is actually gone.

"And then, you see, you might not have any egg. In that case, you can wave your arms freely and show your pockets empty."

Wave your arms about and turn your right trouser's pocket out to show it empty.

"Of course, the bag is empty."

Turn bag inside out and back again. When it is inside out, egg is in position shown in Figure 27 against your right palm. Then in turning bag back again, hold egg in place with right thumb.

Now shift your hands so that your fingers are inside of the top opening instead of your thumbs. Bag is now turned with the opening upward and egg is held at top by right hand, Figure 38.

"The egg is not in my hands, not in my pocket, not under my arms, not in the bag, so it must be somewhere. By the way, John, did you feel inside the bag? But first, hold my right wrist with your left hand and, Frances, you hold my left wrist so that an egg cannot jump down out of either of my sleeves."

John and Frances take hold of your wrists.

"Now, reach in, John, and feel around."

John, of course, finds nothing in the bag. When he has taken hand from bag, release egg from your right hand, and it will fall into right corner of bag through trick opening.

Remove right hand from bag and hold it above bag, showing it empty with fingers spread wide apart. Hold bag in left hand in position shown in Figure 39.

"You felt all over the bag, didn't you? In this corner and that corner?"

Reach into bag with right hand and feel around inside. Then take out hand with the egg. Hold egg up so that all can see.

"Really, I think there is some trick to this because there is the egg."

Have children release grip on your wrists. Bag is in your left hand. Curl your right hand about egg and then grasp bag with right hand.

Turn left side to audience and look at John. Talk to John to MISDIRECT his attention as you lift right hand from bag to right coat pocket and drop egg into it.

"It all goes to show, John, that you cannot watch too closely."

Point to him with the bag. After you have deposited egg in pocket, withdraw right hand immediately and replace it on the bag.

"Now, here is this simple little bag." Show bag in left hand.

"And this simple little egg."

Look at right hand, pretending you think egg is there. Show right hand empty with much surprise on your part.

"I thought I had the egg. John, did you take it? That's strange."

Look at both sides of bag, without turning it inside out. Then crumple it up in left hand and place it in left coat pocket.

"John, have you the egg in your pocket?"

Step close to John and feel his right coat pocket with your left hand. Then feel his arm and his back, Figure 40.

As you lean forward close to John, your coat opens a little. Reach up under

left side of your coat with right hand. Grasp Body Load pinned to your vest. Pull the thread loop and break it, getting bundle into right hand, Figure 41.

Bring your left hand to John's shoulder. Grasp the edge of his right lapel and pull it toward you, thus opening the right side of his coat. His coat acts as a screen when you are close to him so that you can place the bundle in your right hand quickly up under the right side of his coat, Figure 42.

Push bundle well up under coat, then release hold on John's lapel with your left hand. Now place your left hand up under his coat and push the bundle over his shoulders to his back. As you do this, turn John around a little so that when bundle gets into position on his back, the audience will not see the bulge under his coat. Grasp John's left arm with your right hand.

When bundle is in position, bring left hand down again and grasp John's right lapel. Pretend to continue to search him with your eyes. Then turn John around so that audience can see bulge on his back, Figure 43.

"Pardon me, John, but what is this slight bulge in the back of your coat here?"

With your left hand reach up under John's coat again and grasp the bundle. Also reach down through the top of his coat in back with your right hand. Unpin the bundle quickly and pull out the stocking with your right hand, Figure 44.

"It must be some of your wearing apparel."

Hold stocking up for John to see. Reach into coat again from the top. Assist your right hand with left hand on outside of coat. Remove the baby stockings.

"Really, John, you have quite a collection."

Show garments to John. Open up every article so that audience can see them all plainly.

Reach in again and pull the rest of the baby clothes out one at a time, showing each one as you remove it. "But never mind, John, it always pays to do your Christmas shopping early."

Dismiss the children, thanking them for helping you.

NOTE: Many funny articles can be pulled from a boy's coat. Even a baby bottle half filled with milk could be

placed inside of the load.

Sometimes a pocket is sewed or pinned to left side of vest with an opening at top to hold articles.

In transferring bundle from yourself to boy, the MISDIRECTION IS VERY IMPORTANT. Your eyes and left hand must distract the attention from your right hand.

Use great care in putting the load up the boy's back. Be sure that it is far enough up so that it does not drop out accidentally. Your left hand can aid you in adjusting it.

Practice this Body Loading well. Skill in doing it will be very useful to you later on when you learn other productions.

TARBELL SYSTEM, INCORPORATED, Chicago.

LESSON 25

HOW TO VANISH AND PRODUCE A LIVE RABBIT. Imagine it! So soon you are ready to learn this wonderful magical effect --this baffling effect which has so often amazed you! The different methods you learn for vanishing and producing other small animals such as doves, guinea pigs, chickens, etc., will prove most interesting and invaluable to you as a Magician. This lesson means a great big step forward for you in Magic!