Carding

“ If the person should say, that the card he thought of is among the first shown to him, dextrously remove the four cards put at the bottom of the pack, in order that the two, one of which is the card he thought of, may be the lowermost of the pack, and you may then either show him his card, or make him draw it out himself, as above explained. ”

“ When you have found a card chosen, which you have previously forced, or any card that has been drawn, and which you have discovered by the means before described, in order to finish your trick cleverly, convey the card, privately, to the top of the pack; get all the other cards even with each other, but let the edge of your top card project a little over the rest ”

“ By this feat on the cards, great wonders might be done.
How to let twenty gentlemen draw twenty Cards and to make one Card every man's Card.
Take a pack of cards let any gentleman draw a card, and let him put it into the pack again, but be sure that you know where to find it again at pleasure; then shuffle the cards as before taught, and then let another gentleman draw a card, but be sure that you let him draw no other card but the same card as the other did draw, and so do till ten or twelve, or as many cards as you think fit ”

“ The cards are well shuffled, the [Pg 147] consultant keeping his thoughts all the time fixed upon whatever wish he may have formed; the cards are cut once, and the card cut is noted; they are shuffled again and dealt out into three parcels—each of these being examined in turn, and if it is found that the card turned up next, either the one representing the dealer or the person who is consulting him—the ace of hearts or the nine of hearts, it is said that the wish will be granted. ”

“ The pack of thirty-two selected cards is taken, and a card is selected to represent the dealer, supposing he is making the essay on his own behalf; if not, it must represent the person for whom he is acting. In doing this, if the Consultant card be not used, it is necessary to remember that the card chosen should be according to the complexion of the chooser. King or queen of diamonds for a very fair person; king or queen of hearts for one rather dark; clubs for one darker still; and spades only for one very dark indeed. ”

“ FINALE TO A CARD TRICK. You ask a person to draw a card, which he does, and putting the pack of cards in a boy’s mouth, you tell him that card only shall remain there. You then give the card a blow, and all fall down except the card that was drawn. ”

“ Nor can we be original to the extent that we do not follow the rules of etiquette regarding correct forms for social cards. But we can make our cards so distinctive, so representative of ourselves, that the recipient will find as much pleasure in receiving them as we in offering them. And by distinctive we do not mean the fancy or embellished card, but the one that is strictly in accord with the rules of good usage as outlined in the following paragraphs. ”

“ To do this, however, I must ask this gentleman on my left to give me one card from his pocket that the others may learn the road they are to follow."
Taking this card, he gives it to the assistant on his right to put into his pocket. "Now," he proceeds, "one, two, three, four, pass! Count your cards, sir"—to the paper horn—"and see if you have not twenty-three, as you certainly ought to have, since nineteen which you had and the four which have passed make exactly that number." ”

“ When you can make the pass in a dextrous manner, it is preferable, on many occasions, to the long card, which obliges you to change the pack frequently; for otherwise it would be observed that the same card is always drawn, and doubtless suspicion arise.
288 TO TELL THE CARDS BY THEIR WEIGHT. Ask a person to cut the pack as often as he likes, undertaking by weighing each card for a moment on your finger, not only to tell the colour, but the suit and number of spots, and, if a court card, whether it is king, queen, or knave. ”

“ A bit of pasteboard and a line of script—its insignificance is a snare to the ignorant, a The Card delusion to the misinformed. Milady's visiting card guides her down the social path, and the correct choice in size, shape and kind is of the greatest import.
Quality The quality of the card is a matter which the standard stationer may decide. The best is none too good, for a poor paper speaks its fabric as does a shoddy velvet. ”

“ A gentleman riding one day near Richmond, observed a house delightfully situated, and asking his companion to whom it belonged, was answered, "To a card-maker."—"Upon my life," he replied, "one would imagine all that man's cards must have been trumps." ”

“ The soldier continued as follows, if your worship observe again, you will find in the first place, there are four suits in the card, that intimate the four quarters in the year; then as there are thirteen cards in each suit, that is just as many as there are weeks in the quarter; there are also as many lunations in a year as there are cards in a suit; there are twelve court cards which intimate the twelve months of the year, and the twelve signs of the zodiack thro’ which the sun fleers its diurnal course during the spice of one whole year ”

“ For a sensational conclusion, you may bring the discovered card to the top of the pack, and ask the person who selected the card to grip the pack tightly by a corner, between the thumb and first finger of the right hand, the thumb extending about half-inch and the finger more, and turn the cards face uppermost. ”

“ Despite what many wise card players maintain, a deck can be stacked in the shuffle—if there are not more than three, or at the most four, players; but in a half-dozen riffles of the cards I can put a good hand at the bottom and deal it at will though the eyes of twenty men are on me. ”

“ You turn, and while pretending to look through the pack, you take two other cards which you must have at hand, place with them a card out of the pack, and approach those persons who have drawn cards, asking each if his card is not among the three. ”

“ Example 337.—Here is a card that is a model of dignity and of simple business-card treatment. A good word can be said in favor of using the individual’s name in the center of the card and the firm name in a less prominent position. When a card is handed to a business man, he looks at it first for the purpose of finding out who it is that wishes to see him. ”

“ Young girls use smaller cards than older ladies. A gentleman's card is long and narrow, from 2-7/8 to 3-1/4; inches long, and from 1-1/4 to 1-5/8 inches high. All visiting cards are engraved on white unglazed bristol board, which may be of medium thickness or thin, as one fancies. A few years ago there was a fad for cards as thin as writing paper, but one seldom sees them in America now. The advantage of a thin card is that a greater quantity may be carried easily. ”

“ THE CARD OF ONE COLOUR FOUND IN A PACK OF THE OTHER. Put all the red cards in one heap, and all the black cards in the other. One of these packs you conceal in your pocket. You let any person draw a card from the other pack, and while he is examining the card, substitute the pack in your pocket for the one you hold in your hand. Let him place his card in the pack you have taken from your pocket, and shuffle as much as he pleases. On receiving back the pack, you will at once recognize the card he has drawn by the difference of colour. ”

“ The above delusive offer to show “how it’s done” can be equally well adapted to many other tricks, and never fails to create amusement.
A Card having been thought of, to make such Card Vanish from the Pack, and be Discovered wherever the Performer pleases.—This trick should be performed with twenty-seven cards only. You deal the cards, face upwards, in three packs, requesting one of the company to note a card, and to remember in which heap it is. ”

“ Visiting cards should be engraved or handsomely written. Those printed on type are considered vulgar, simply, no doubt, because they are cheap. A gentleman's card should be of medium size, unglazed, ungilt, and perfectly plain. ”

“ TO GUESS THE SPOTS ON A CARD. Take a whole pack, consisting of 52 cards, and desire some person in company to draw out any card, at pleasure, without showing it. Having assigned to the different cards their usual value, according to their spots, call the knave 11, the queen 12, and the king 13. Then add the spots of the first card to those of the second; the last sum to the third; and so on, always rejecting 13, and keeping the remainder to add to the following card. It may be readily seen that it is needless to reckon the kings, which are counted 13. ”

“ If the card representing the person consulting be not among them, one must be withdrawn from the eleven useless ones placed at the right extremity of the row, where it represents the missing card, no matter what it may really be. ”

“ The trick of dealing the second card is very easily learned. Take a pack of cards in your left hand, in the manner usually adopted in dealing, with the thumb lying across the middle of the pack. Then with the thumb advance the two top cards slightly to the right. ”

“ Thus, by using a card which, unknown to the audience, has two faces—e.g., is an ace of hearts on the one side, and an ace of spades on the other—and placing such card in one side of the open box, you have only to close the box with that side uppermost, or to turn over the box as you place it on the table, to transform the card just shown into a different one. ”

“ Leaving cards, or card-leaving, is one of the most important of social observances, as it is the ground-work or nucleus in general society of all acquaintanceships. Leaving cards, according to etiquette, is the first step towards forming, or towards enlarging, a circle of acquaintances, and the non-fulfilment of the prescribed rules is a sure step in the opposite direction. The following is the received code of card-leaving in all its details according to the etiquette observed in good society by both ladies and gentlemen, and should be faithfully followed. ”

“ The subject of cards will occur in the course of the evidence; the ace of spades will be alluded to; his lordship will look up mildly, blandly, almost timidly from his notes, and will lisp:
"What is the ace of spades?
"It is a card, m' lord," says Bulliwrag, Q.C.
"A card?" prattles his lordship, in his pretty little taking way; "a card is a thing people play with, is it not?" and appears to be looking about for his rattle.
"Yes, m' lord," says the witness.
"Is it the same as a visiting card—and a race card?" says his lordship. ”

“ Is a card slightly curved. By introducing it carelessly into the pack, and shuffling them, it can be cut at pleasure. The trick of the “Old Gentleman” consists in merely introducing into the pack a card of thicker substance than the rest, which can likewise be cut at pleasure, by being properly placed by the shuffler.
SKINNING. It is by this operation that unfair cards are introduced, and too often without creating suspicion, by the ingenuity with which it is performed. ”

“ The art of telling fortunes by cards, known professionally as Cartomancy, has been practiced for centuries.
In our day and generation divination by cards is chiefly employed for amusement and pastime, for the entertainment of one's self or one's company, or at church fairs, charity bazars, and the like ”

“ Visiting cards should be kept in a small case of sealskin or black or Russia leather and carried in the inside pocket of a frock coat, or if small enough more conveniently in the waistcoat pocket. Card cases should be stamped with initials or have a silver monogram. Visiting cards should never be carried loose in the pocket. A card is left in person the day after a dinner, luncheon, or breakfast, or within a week at latest after a ball. Civility must be returned by civility, and cards must be left on every occasion on which a call is necessary. ”

“ Take the whole pack of fifty-two cards, and let them be well shuffled by as many persons as care to do so. Explain that if during your absence any one present will deal out the cards, faces downwards, into packs made up according to instructions, you will upon your return tell the aggregate number of pips shown on the bottom cards of the packs, the court cards being considered as equal to ten pips and the ace as equal to one pip. ”

“ To turn down the corners of the card has become almost obsolete, except, perhaps, where a lady wishes it understood that she called in person. The plainer the card the better. A small, thin card for a gentleman, not glazed, with his name in small script and his address well engraved in the corner, is in good taste. A lady’s card should be larger, but not glazed or ornamented.
Style of Cards.
Ladies’ cards should be nearly square (about 21⁄2 x 3 inches) , of smooth-finished card-board, medium weight, pearl-white in color, and the engraving plain script. ”

“ The single court card being conspicuous among so many plain cards, and there being nothing apparently to create a suspicion of design about the arrangement it is ten to one that the person will note that particular card,112 which we will suppose to be the knave of hearts. ”

“ Desire some person in the company to chuse, at his will, three cards out of a piquet pack, observing to him, that the ace is to be counted for 11 points, the court cards 10, and the other cards according to the points they mark. ”

“ Seven cards are now counted from right to left, beginning with the queen of hearts, who represents the lady consulting the cards. The seventh being the king of diamonds, the following may be said: "You often think of a fair man in uniform."
The next seventh card (counting the king of diamonds as one) proves to be the ace of clubs: "You will receive from him some very joyful tidings; he, besides, intends making you a present."
Count the ace of clubs as one, and proceeding to the next seventh card, the queen of spades: "A widow is endeavoring to injure you on this very account ”