Magic Tree House #50: Hurry Up, Houdini! (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

prepare for our show. First we’ll put the rabbits and doves in the hidden compartments of that table,” he said.
    “Yep,” said Annie. “No problem.”
    Jack and Annie began preparing their props quietly and expertly, as if they’d done it a thousand times before. Jack picked up the rabbit cage and set it on the table. He pressed a small trapdoor in the middle of the velvet-covered tabletop, and the door flapped down.
    “Here you go, bunnies,” said Jack. He lifted the three small rabbits out of their cage and placed them comfortably in one of the table’s hidden compartments. “See you soon.”
    While Jack took care of the rabbits, Annie handled the birds. She opened a second small door onthe tabletop and carefully placed the two white doves into another secret compartment. “They look happy in there,” she said.
    Jack set the deck of cards in the center of the table. Annie hid the two wands inside the sleeves of her tuxedo jacket.
    Jack pulled his pocket watch from his pants. “Eight-fifteen,” he said.
    Annie smiled. “We have fifty minutes of magic left,” she said.
    Jack slipped the watch into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. Annie arranged the silver rings on top of the table.
    A knock came at the door and Mr. Wilson looked into the room.
    “Ready? Jolly Jack? Amazing Annie?” the stage manager asked.
    This time, the roar of the crowd did not alarm Jack in the least. In fact, it thrilled him. “Yes, indeed, Mr. Wilson! Thank you!” he said with a jolly laugh.
    “If you’d be so kind, Mr. Wilson, please set our table center stage,” said Annie.
    “Hank! Butch!” Mr. Wilson shouted. Two stagehands immediately appeared. They picked up the table and carried it out of the dressing room. When the stage crew was gone, Jack and Annie pulled on their white gloves.
    “You sure you feel okay about doing this?” Annie asked.
    “Totally.” Jack smiled at her. He tightened his gloves and wiggled his fingers. Then he put on his top hat. “Let’s go, my dear,” he said, leading the way out the door. “It’s showtime!”

A s the orchestra played, Mr. Wilson guided Jack and Annie through the backstage area. “Watch out, kids,” he said. “Like I said before, it’s a tough crowd out there tonight.”
    Jack smiled confidently.
No crowd is too tough for us
, he thought.
    Hank and Butch set the table with Jack and Annie’s props center stage behind the closed curtain. The stage was lit with a soft rosy light.
    “Places!” called Mr. Wilson.
    Jack and Annie nodded and calmly took theirplaces in front of the table. They heard a long drumroll, then a cymbal crash. They heard Mr. Dewey speaking to the audience from in front of the curtain:
    “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Great Houdini show! I have a very special and wonderful surprise for you this evening. As you may know, the Bambini Brothers were scheduled to be our opening act. But instead, it will be your great good fortune to welcome a truly remarkable pair of young illusionists. These master magicians have performed in theaters all around the world, and tonight they are here to perform for
you
! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jolly Jack and the Amazing Annie!”
    A trumpet blasted, the curtain rose, and the crowd clapped and whistled as Jack and Annie stepped into a yellow spotlight.
    Looking out at the audience, Jack chuckled like a seasoned performer. His heart pounded, but not with fear. It pounded with an excitement that made him want to do his best.
    “Good evening, friends!” Jack shouted over the applause. “They call me Jolly Jack because nothing brings me greater joy than entertaining folks like
you
! And they call my sister Amazing Annie because—” Jack held his gloved hand out toward Annie.
    “I love to amaze you with my amazing ability to amaze you!” Annie shouted.
    The cymbals crashed. The crowd laughed.
    “Do not let our youthful appearance fool you!” Annie went on. “My brother and I have traveled the globe to discover mysteries both ancient and modern!”
    Jack took off his top hat and turned it toward the crowd. “I direct your attention to my hat,” he said. “As you can see, the inside is quite ordinary. But strange things happen with this hat, especially when I touch it with a wand given to us by an Arabian princess.”
    Jack looked around. “Oh, dear, I seem to have forgotten my wand.”
    Annie stepped forward. She swept her rightarm in front of her—and
presto!
A wand appeared in her