Gravity Outdone

This stunt belongs to the series of spectacular tricks, and although looks like it is difficult to do, one trial will convince you that it is easy. Have a piece of heavy card-board 12" x 12" or a flat bar tray.

Four heavy tumblers, or four highball glasses two-thirds full of water.
Four playing cards rolled into tubes, about one inch in diameter, held together with small rubber bands.
Four fresh eggs, and one egg shell (blown out).

Place the tumblers in four corners of an imaginary square about 9 inches from each other, then the tray or cardboard on the top, so that each tumbler will be at equal distance. Two inches from the corners of the cardboard. Place the little cylinders made out of the playing cards on the top of the tray, standing, so they will be about the center of each tumbler. Place a fresh egg, one at a time, standing at its wider point, on top of each cylinder.
As you pick the eggs from paper bag or a plate, you give it a little shake, close to your ears, as if trying to listen to the inside of the egg, nodding in approval that the egg is fresh. After shaking the third egg a little bit (the blown out egg this time) toss it over the heads of the audience, then pick the third egg, shake and make believe you will toss it too, hesitate, shake again, then crack it, look at the audience again and act surprised. Take another egg, the last real egg, and place it on the last tube. The rest of the routine to all appearances is the most difficult. It consists in giving a short sharp blow, with the heel of your hand at point “B” on the edge of the tray, toward the audience. The tray will land on the floor a few feet away from your table, the tubes will all fly around, but thefour eggs will all drop directly into the tumblers, unharmed. I advise you to rehearse this with wooden eggs or hard boiled eggs, until you find out how hard you have to hit the tray.