Summary

Chapter 20, “Light and Heavy Chest”, continued in 1900. Arden booked lots of shows for her new act before she’d ever performed because the concept of a female illusionist was sufficiently unusual to guarantee some interest in advance. Arden initially dressed in men’s clothes for her performances but later decided to wear more glamorous women’s attire. She performed tricks which gave women the money out of their husbands’ pockets. The show was a success.

In Chapter 21, “The Suffragette’s Trunk”, the action moved to 1901. Arden reinvented a well-known trick called the Saratoga Trunk Mystery and renamed it the Suffragette’s Trunk. The reception to her new performances was very positive. One night a man in the crowd accused Arden of being a charlatan and he attacked her. Arden fought back and was arrested for assault. Her arrest brought a lot of publicity...