RISK is always dramatic---especially with borrowed money, fire and ashes! When you add Surprise!---you have a winning combination.

Jack Kent Tillar's "WELL HEALED"

EFFECT: Two dollar bills are borrowed, torn in halves and one half of each is given back as a receipt. The other halves are "accidentally" burned to ashes. From your wallet, a sealed envelope is opened by the spectator. Inside he finds the torn halves which match the receipts! To top it off, one of the bills is mi-raculously restored! PREPARATION: At your bank, get ten new dollar bills in sequence---0 through 9. Carefully change the 3 to match the 8. Then put the two bills through a wash cycle, soak them in tea over night, cook them in an oven and generally dirty them up. Tear one in half and put the pieces in a small envelope. Seal it and put it in your wallet. Tear the other in half, put it in an unsealed security letter envelope and lay it on top of several more open envelopes-all address side down. Lastly, cut off the flap of one more envelope and lay it on top of your loaded one, underneath its loose flap. PERFORMANCE: With the stack in one breast pocket and your wallet in the other, ask the group for some dollar bills to try an experiment. Choose two that look like the ones you doctored. Lay them on top of one another, tear both in half and lay the right halves face-down on top of the left. "It's illegal to inten-tionally destroy money." Hand the top piece to one of the lenders. 'Did you know that? But this is in the interest of pure science and high finance." With that distraction, slide off the bottom half and hand it to the second lender. "I want you to keep a receipt---as sort of claim checks for your money." BUT, now each has half of the SAME dollar bill! Take out the small stack of envelopes (address side up), use the top one and set the others on the nearby table (flap sides up.) Put the other two halves (of the second bill) into the single envelope and have one of the gentlemen check and seal it. "These are the new fireproof envelopes that banks are testing. Let's check them out. It's only money your money. You're not worried are you? I'm certainly not." Hand your lighter to one of them and hold the envelope over an ashtray or plate. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained Maybe that's the wrong thing to say. Burn, baby, burn?" Let the envelope burn completely.* "Oops." Takeout your wallet. "Darn. I only have one dollar. But just a minute. I do have an envelope marked Insurance. Will you please open it, take out the policies and lay them on the table?" Pick up one half. "May I compare your receipt?" Of course it doesn't match. Ask for the other receipt and, with that distrac-tion, give the first man back the switched wrong half ! Compare the second half and they match! Pocket the halves and give him the dollar bill from your wallet Ask the first man if his two halves fit. "Do the serial numbers match?" Pick up the stack, have the halves put into the flap less envelope and lift out the next one by its flap! "Put it under your pillow tonight for the dollar bill fairy!" As you put the envelopes in your pocket, thumb off the flap-less, stop and lay down the rest. "Better still, I'm the magi-cian_ Watch!" Wave your hand and have him remove the restored matching number bill! (*Note: Use a second flap-less to not burn a buck!)