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Try These Nixon Tricks On Your Party Friends

By DAVID NIXON Hie Popular Star of Radio and TV

when I was a boy one of the nost enjoyable items of any Christ- mu party program was the per- formance or a friend of our family who was quite a,l00d 00"- jurer. I -promised myself that I would be a conjurer. too. one ,day, and there is no reason why you should not become the star turn at parties by mastering a few simple conJuring tricks.

Here is one to open your show. Produce an empty matchbox and hold up each part separately to prove to your audience that the oox -is quite empty tat least. it ap- pears to be empty). Now. in suit- able patter tell your guests that you will make a ten cent piece appear in it by magic. Sure en- ough, when you put the matchbox together and rattle it - there is a ten cent piece inside it.

The i.rick is quite easy. When you show the lid of the box to

your audience, you keep your first '

finger tucked inside it, holding a sixpenny piece against the inside of the lid (as in the accompany- ing diagram). When you replace the lid on thefrest of the box. you release the coin. and - well, there it is. The empty matchbox that isn't - if you understand what I mean.

MATCHBO3 ENCORE

Another trick with a matchbox. If you see one of your friends about to light up I cigarette. take a matchbox from your pocket. shake it to prove that it has matches in it, and then hand it to the smoker. But what I surprise he will get when he finds that the boat is empty. yet he could swear that he heard you rattle it. Act- ually. the box was empty all the time. but you had prepared your- self for the trick beforehand by tucking a second matchbox, con- taining half a dozen matches or so, up your sleeve. You can do this quite easily by attaching it to your arm - your forearm. by the way- with an elastic band. only make sure that it cannot be seen through your coat sleeve. Thus. when you shake the empty matchbox in your hand, it is the box up your sleeve that rattles. Yes. it's I catch, but a good one.

Here's another catch. You need three cups and ten peas, sweets or nuts. Now ask your friends If they can put all ten into the three cups. so that there is an odd number in each one. .

Unless someone knows this trick. you can be sure that it will beat them all - yet it is so simple. Put one nut in the first cu-p. two in the second. and seven in the

i third. Ah, but wait a minute-that

is not an ODD number in each cup. someone will say. Oh. no, of course not, but if you place the cup with one nut into that with two! as in the diagram) then that cup will have three nuts in it. won't it?

All right, i told you it was I catch. didn't I? I

WITH TWO ASSISTANTS

Something a little different. For this trick you will need a small ring - a metal curtain ring will do, provided it is not more than about 9. inch across. Show it to your aud ence and then pass it on to a piece of thread about a yard long. Now ask- two assistants to hold the ends of the thread and keep it taut. and challenge anyone to remove the ring without cutting or breaking the thread. .

"You admit that it cannot be done?" you say. "Very well, if someone will give me an ordinary match, I will prove that it can be done. First I cover the ring with a handkerchief. and then' when I put my hands under it, the magic mltchstlck will do its work."

At last you remove the hanky. revealing the ring with the match- stiek placed through ring and (Is in the accompanying AI you take away the

ky. you keep hold of the thread Ind move your hand along it until you can relieve your friend at one and. Tell this assistant to remove the match from the ring. and-hey presto!-the ring drops to the floor and the thread is still intact.

” flu seen! at the trick is this. When you take the handkerchief from your pocket. you have a sec- om identical ring hidden in its folh. and it is thib ring which youattaohtothoihraadwitlitiia tab. " hile. of course. you nqat keep the original sing hidden under your hand as you'alido it along the thread to relieve the al- Inuat at one end. And when everyone is watching the ring drepplu awn to thread. you can slip ha.-original ring into handhand dispose of it into a lw so you put your link:

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put into the for-cer and pre lhlpal on to the baking coat I

eyes? It is quite simple. really. .

Twist a soft handkerchief rope- wise and take it in your right hand as in the accompanying series of diagrams. The shorter end of the hanky passes over the hand and through, between the backs of the second and third fingers. Using the thumb. the end is passed un- der the longi-r,end. then up and over it. to pass between the first and second linker!-

Now. if you hold on to the top end, and give the hanky a quick flick as you draw it away from your hand, you will find a knot in it. Now take up the lower end in the left hand and grip both ends between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. Keeping hold of the longer end, give the hanky another sharp flick, and as it drops, the knot will disappeat.

2--3

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It sounds complicated, I know. but if you follow the diagrams, you should find it quite simple. Re- member, however, that you will need 9. good deal of practice before you can make this trick look really effective, because it must be done so quickly that no one can so exactly what is happening.

INTO A SEALED ENVELOPE

A good card trick ll popular.

Ask someone to take a card from the fanned pack and look at it without showing it to you. That done. the card must be laid face downwards on the top of the pack which is now stacked on the table. Next, take a clean envelope and ask someone to seal it.

"Now I will endeavour to make the chosen card pass into that sealed envelope." you say. "Bu. first of all. will someone initial the envelope. so that you will know I have not changed it."

Take the sealed envelope and lay it across the top of the pack of cards, so that it can be iriitialied on the front. That done, you pick up the envelope carefully. keeping the back of it close to your palm, and acting as mysteriously as you can. place it up on the mantel- piece, or somewhere away from your audience.

Now pick up the pack and an- nounce to your friends that the chosen card has gone into the en- velope. Pass the cards to the audi- ence so that they can make sure that the card has definitely gone. Right - now you take up the en- velope again, carefully, still keep- ing ths front of it to the audience. With a great show of "magic." slit the envelope along its top with a penknife, and with two fingers slip the card from it. What a round of applause you will get

alw aye

Presents From The Kitchen

By Avle Lever

There is nothing nicer than I box of home-made biscuits to nib- ble in bed on Christmas morning. so why not make some Ia pr'ea- ents for your friends?

With I cookie press you can pipe biscuits in the shape of tiny flow- ers and butterflies to pack into plastic boxes tied with an enor- mouii ribbon bow. Another kind, cut into rings. can be threaded on to coloured tape and joined in I long chain to fascinate a small child. or place upon the Christmas tree.

Here are some recipes for Christ- maa biscuits and ideas for using them.

A Gingerbread Father Cmiatmas: These are enormously popular with all ages. Trace and cut the out- line of a cardboard Father Christ- mas before you begin and use him when you shape the dough.

Cool each one carefully on ii wire rack and pipe the outline ol his clothes and sack with coloured icing. If you pierce a small hole in the top they may be hung from the Christmas tree, just before you give away our presents.

Recipe: lie cups plain flour, Va ieasp. mixed spice. A" pinch salt, Vi cup Demerara sugar, V4 cup butter, 1 teup. baking soda. A little boiling wafer. W4 teasp. ground ginger, 2 tablap. corn syrup.

Mix together the flour. salt and spices and silt them twice. Put the syrup, sugar and butter into a saucepan and stir over I low heat until they are all melte d. Then, dissolve the bicarbonate in a little boiling water Ind Idd- it in the mixture in the saucepan.

Pour this quickly onto the flour mixture, mix well and shape into a ball. Leave this in I cold place for several hours, roll out thinly and cut into fancy shapes.

Bake in I moderate oven It 350 degrees F. for 10-15 mine. until a golden brown. Cool on I rack and decorate with icing sugar.

Tin ckriatuiao-Flowers: These biscuits are m. do by using I spe- cial cookie press. They are piyd straight onto the baking sheet and. when done, should be packed in cellophane, in rows, inside a large Christina y tin or box - ideal for I large family of larnarn elildren.

loclpo: '5 cup bumr.,V: cup au- ggr. l e g. 2 cups plain flour and I inch ii. ' ' cant the butter and sugar, but in the all and, finally. add the sifted Sour and salt. Ilifqwell.

the sheet. I moderate oven at I'll mine.

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- and blue - and pass them to your

J and immediately produce the re-

of

liking and some with

riiIia' eyes Ind. of course. I white

when the card is been by your friends, who realise that it is the right one.

Actually. of course. they have been neatly tricked. when you place the envelope on top of the chosen card (which is topmost on the one-l-A soonti-ive to ainaar a tiny

spot of beeswax W soap on to the card so that when you pick up the initialled envelope, the card is sticking to the back of it. The rest is easy. When you slit open the envelope, your fingers merely slip the card slowly up from the back of it. Li you do this trick properly. it will look most effective.

THAT STRING OF IIANDKIEB

On more trick. This time you need three colored handkerchieis. Silk ones are best." Tie them toget- her by the corners - red, green

audience. so that they can prove that they are well tied and will not come apart easily. Now roll up the handkies Indrpush them into your inside. jacket pocket. (This is I trick for boys. of course). Let your ivudience see you stow them away. t

Now. ask someone 'to name one of the colored handkiea - and to the amazement of them all, you dive your hand inside your jacket

qulred handkerchief, You then do the same with the other two - separately, of course. i

How is it done? Well, you have I duplicate set of identical hand- kies screwed up in your WAIST- OOAT pocket, and it is from that pocket that you produce the hand- kies. The knotted handkles remain

where you have put them. There is just one point to note about this trick. Make aura you know the order in which the three handkieii are tucked into your waistsoest

laugh. place a reel of cotton in one of your inside pockets. and before, you appear for your show, threadl one end of the cotton with I needle through your jacket, so that a small end is left dangling. (Through I seam looks more ef- fective). During your performance. it no one draws your attention to the end. you do it yourself by ask- ing someone to pull it out for you. Then wait for. the laughter as yards and yards of cotton are pulled out, until you bring the per- iormance to an end by shouting: "Hey. go easy! You'll have Jacket falling to pieces!" There are hundreds more tricks I could tell you aibout, of course. but time is up. Don't forget my lp - practice. practice and go on practising, until you are absolutely certain that you can perform your

my

way will you become I good con- Jurer. A wizard Christmas to you all.

(Copyright NIL.) I

cocoa may be used with only H2 cups flour and a little vanilla es- SEHCE.

For Coffee Curls: Add a table; Snoonful of a good coffee essence to the beaten eu.

Christmas Trees: Then may be made by cutting the dough into tree ahapes, and then icing with green and brown coloured icing su- gar.

Another way is to ma ke stai- shapes in several sizes. Ice them with green icin sugar and sprinkle the smallest on a with coconu for snow. Then pile them on top of sauce bottle tops or painted cotton reels, passing l' e o e k ta ll stick through the centres. and use them to decorate I party tabla.

Make cardboard patterns before you begin. Recipe: V4 cups sifted flour, 1 oz. corn starch, 2 table- spoons sugar, 1 egg. A few drops vanilla essence. 2 cups icing au- gar. green food colouring. brown or red food colouring. dessicated coconut and hundreds and thou- ands.

Sieve the flour and cornfldur twice and rub in the butter. Add the sugar and bind with enough well-beaten egg to give I stiff mix- ture.

Roll out fairly thinly and out into trees, I or 4 different sized star shapes. or rings.

Bake in a moderately hot oven 37! degrees F. for 10-15 mini. and cool on I rack.

For the icing: Sieve the icing sugar and add about 3 tablaps. of warm milk to bind it. Colour part a bright green and the rest I deep brown or red. if the tree shapes are used.

To decorate tree shapes, put rad

'r brown icing on pots and green on the tree itself. vlcaiter the whole withhundreda and thousands or Just put grains of daaalcatad coconut as snow on the tips of lb branches. ' -

To make upright ristmu trees. pierce I hole throug the centre of each biscuit and cover them all with green icing, acatttrbtl coco- nut snow over the uppermost atai-I. when the icing is set, put a cock- tail stick through the centre of each tree and stand them emtheir bails-cap pots.

Noah's Ark nlacnuai These can be made with I set of animal his; cuit cutters and will be very popu- in with any small child. let some at them with I ,dioe, to glue y lo, mam on I'dot of contrasting icing when this in nearly an for an ani-

biob for the Bunny Rabbit's tail.

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laelpai. I iablesgigyag butter. I

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into I saucepan. p a low heat and stir until it is quite

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If you want to finish on a big 3?

tricks without a hitch. Only in that -

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tablespoon bown 51118131 Ell- iv. cups do . I good pinch of salt. I few drops of vanilla es- Ience. milk to mix. .

For the icings: 2 cups sieved icing sugar. '1 oz. grated chocolate. 2 tablsp. warm water. vanilla essence. ,

Cream the butter and sugar and beat in die egg and vanilla es- sence. Sieve together twice the flour and salt and mix them into the creamed mixture. Iddinl

gnqugh milk to make a good stiff

dough. '

Roll out to about 16" thick. Cl" into animal shlpea and prick all over to prevent them rising. V

Bake on an unlreiised sheet in a moderate oven at.375 deli!-1! F 10? 15--20 minl.

Cool on I rack and do not at- tempt to lee them until they are quite cold.

Chooalatejcingz Take half the icing sugar and sieve it thorough- Meanwhlle, put the chocolate and 1 tableapooqful Warm Walll" Stand this over

rnelted. Add 1 tab. vanilla essence and, when you have removed the

pan from the heat, stir in the icins

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sugar until it dissolves. Use while warm. ,

White Icing: Put the rest of the icing sugar. with Hi tabsp. warm water into a saucepan. Stir over a very gentle heat until it is dis- solved and use as soon as it will coat the back of I spoon. ,

To Ice: Use one colour It I time. Put the biscuits on I rack and spoon the icing over them. scraprup any drips and return to the pan to be used again: Add the eyes. mouth and tail in the sec- ond oolour when the iding has be- gun to set.

IA Christmas Wish

I wish you "Merry Christmas" And joy and peace as well, And may you hear the

SODI In every chiming bell.

Ingels'

And may the Yuletide gladneas Find echo in your heart,

And all of life be richer

when the Christmas hours depart. -Constance I. I-leckbert.

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Christmas card iylaa have. shang- ld fill!!! one half-unitary

Postman are weary this month. their bags heavy with envelopes of all amps! and Iiaaa. Andyal- inost every envelope Wllil '4" same friendly message expressed in I, thousand ways.

There is an eight-inch square of cardboard bearlna a furry rabbit "llpr Baby”: lint Christmas”. A black. varnish-slick piece of paper with gold leaf stamping brings the season! greetings to the IophiItic-

te. '

The flood which sweeps the pos- tal system each year at this time began as I trickle less than 100 years ago. Like our gay Christmas tree, the Christmas card Wu a. pro! duct of the Victorian revival of Christmas festivities, once forbid- den by Puritan laws. The first Christmu card is believed to have been designed early in the 1840's. but not until so years later did the exchange of nesting cards catch thl P0PIIlar fancy.

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Suiinmeirside, P. E: I: i i i

v -- g -'-;'.r on yaw ' s .' Q ll - . .,l'-bzayn

filled with rleligbiessiiigsond ioyl'

, At Christma

P Christmas Candles

Evergreen -Messiagei

A pi-edeosuer of the .chriatInII card was the garish Valentino. the no durins llio ci-iaoiinod loin. At the tune the oi-inolina began to lose favor. would began undlnl each other cards at Ohriatrhaa as well II 10-21: Valentine's Day. .'l1I.I: eommere greeting: D06!-iii ti-einaly popular a is the Issue time as iriistles-in the late m'I. Designs were unoriginal-genial old gentlemen. enormous plum WG- dings. the simplest of humor-but people liked them. Many '0hriIt- mas cards were sold by Vllenum manufacturers who made no at- tempt to produce Christmas cards in keeping with the wintry Ieuon.

The range oi material used the Vlcjlorlahl is uioundlnm board was the most common bale but the ingenious manufacturers also used pleated Iilk, looking- glass, imitation. W14 iseshell. lmlr tatlon mother-or-pearl and ivory silk fringe. lace chenille. velvet sachets. dried flowers, seaweed and mom celluloid of violent color In!

extraordinary design:

Whether you observe. Christmas Day In quiet prayer or iiialia it ring with qelety. . .. we wish each and every one our many. ,

listeners. frleiids and clients-a I-Iollddy C. -'

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Gulf ABroadcasting Company iLicl.ii

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when an-latrrua candles shine on

In bright)-llht strange things

NbtIC';l'.l,lllI1IlI trees so tall and

or 'baautiitIl ll!!! Int gliatu there.

But I crowded Inn I us instead

And a glowing wonderful star that led -

The shepherds to I atlllle small,

When close beside oxen! stall.

Thpy found a manger filled with hay

Wherein the Infant Jesus lay.

While Mary watched with tender

care Above her Baby sleeping there.

These are the things I seem to an When Christmas candles shine on

1119.

-Constance I. Heckbert.

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