“Have a look at this,” he said, reaching up to put the coin into Lemmy’s hand.
Lemmy looked curiously at the strange piece of money which lay in his palm. It was not at all like the dimes and nickels which the ’Dopters often slid into a fellow’s pocket. It was shiny and yellow, the color of the pin which always fastened Miss Border’s collar. It was gold! And there were figures of dragons upon it guarding words which Lemmy could not read at all, though they were very short.
“Heave it into the hanker,” directed the Cap’n.
Plump into the jolly colored handkerchief Lemmy dropped the coin. Wide-eyed, he watched the Cap’n tie the handkerchief into a knot and twist it smartly to make certain that it was secure. With a fine flourish he flung it high into the air, caught it again deftly and untied the tight knot. Smiling broadly, he spread the handkerchief out upon his knees again. Lemmy stared unbelievingly—the gold coin had vanished and in its place lay a silver dollar. He blinked at the air in a daze. Very quickly the Cap’n retied his handkerchief and tossed it up once more. When he opened it again, wonder of wonders, there was the gold coin!
A cry of discovery burst from Lemmy’s throat.
The Cap’n beamed and drew from his pocket, one, two, three oranges. He took the gold coin again, and carelessly balancing it upon his nose, at the same time tossed the oranges one after the other into the air, juggling them with fine precision so that they rose and fell rhythmically in time to music which the Cap’n alone could hear.
“They’re majicked!” Lemmy whispered spellbound as he eyed the oranges flashing in the air while the coin remained apparently affixed to the Cap’n’s nose.
His eyes grew wider yet when suddenly the Cap’n ended his performance by gathering in oranges and coin with one grand sweep, not dropping a thing.
“Now hold your hands,” the Cap’n invited.
Before Lemmy could say Jack Robinson, there right in his own hands was one of the magician’s golden balls.
“Shiver my timbers, did you never see an orange before?” the Cap’n cried as he watched Lemmy’s face.
“Not a Majishun’s orange,” Lemmy answered, fingering his treasure reverently.
“O-oh, I couldn’t!” Lemmy’s voice carried agony.