Do you happen to have a set of the old card from the pocket indexes among your souvenirs? And have you, by chance, one of the popular card in the pocketbook effect? If you have but the first, you have the makings for a stunning press and drawing room stunt. And if you also have the latter, a neat variation is possible.

Fill the indexes, not with the usual cards, but with folded slips of paper on which are written the names of the cards, like this “The chosen stranger will think of the ——-“. Fifty-three of these papers are indexed and the containers pocketed. Now find yourself at someone’s home or in a new office. Write a prophecy, fold it and drop it in a hat or a bowl, but finger palm it out. Now ask the observor or host to think of some friend and to call them on the phone. This unknown (to the performer) person is asked to think for a few moments and then name any card that comes to his or her mind. You immediately ask the host, or caller, to ask the stranger if they had any particular reason for picking that card or if it was just a blind selection. This allows a full twenty to thirty seconds stall, and you have secured the correct paper from the pocket. You pick up the hat or bowl with that hand, and dropping the paper to the bottom, give the container to the spectator to read aloud to the person at the other end of the wire. Imagine that person’s feeling!

Or fill the indexes with playing cards as usual. Don’t explain what you will do, but just have someone called who names a card. You take your pocketbook out and inside is the card! Telephoning a stranger to you is what makes this perfect.