Continued from Sequence A:

“PROSPERO THE SECOND”

Bess Riley, a very pretty Irish girl with her two girlfriends make their way down front to watch Prospero The Second’s performance.

Erich Weiss, now Prospero The Second, takes the stage and makes a hat dance off his hat and around the stage and back onto his head.

One of the girls reiterates that he’s got a wire on it.

Erich takes the hat off his head and tosses it toward Bess and her friends and as they try to catch it, the hat gets crushed between them.

Bess looks up at Erich and he tells her it is alright, the important thing is that there are no wires on the hat as Bess nods.

Erich continues his performance and makes an orange tree appear from a seed in full bloom and throws out a couple of the oranges to the audience.

He then tells the audience he is going to put an empty bowl over a bowl with rice and turn the rice into wine, but first he needs someone from the audience to make sure there is no substitution.

Bess joins him on stage and holds the bowl with rice, while Erich sets the empty bowl on top and covers the bowls with a napkin.

Bess hands are shaking and the bowls fall and cover her dress with red wine.

Erich tells the audience the red wine got here a little quicker than expected.

The curtain closes with applause from the audience.

Erich tells her not to worry about the dress or her mother that he would take care of both.

Bess and Erich approach the house in a carriage; Erich rings doorbell and Mrs. Riley opens the door and asks Bess what happened.

Mrs. Riley tells Bess to get inside and slams the door shut on Erich who leaves.

Later, Erich returns to house in an automobile with a new dress and rings door bell and Mrs. Riley answers again and lets him in this time.

Bess looks beautiful in her new dress and Erich gets the okay to take her for a ride in the automobile.

The car bogs down and Erich and Bess walk over to a wooden fence, where Erich lifts her up, sets her on it and puts his arms around her.

The two are in love and Bess kisses Erich.

Erich then remembers he has a show in an hour and helps her off the fence and they go to the car.

They jump start the car and Erich asks if Bess will come see his show tonight.

Bess says she will see it every night from now on.

Later, Erich returns to the house and rings the bell and Bess escorts him.

Waiting for him, is Bess’ father, her brothers Edward and Joseph and her mother.

Mr. Riley asks Erich about wanting to marry his daughter and Erich confirms that he does.

Mr. Riley asks what kind of magician he is and how much money he makes.

Erich takes over the scene and produces a bouquet of flowers which he hands to Bess, offers his gloves to Edward as they magically disappear, and then produces a cigar from Edward’s ear, followed by a producing a lit cigarette for Joseph which Mr. Riley slaps from his hand.

Mr. Riley asks Prospero what is real name is.

He takes a little piece of paper from his pocket, strikes a match and burns the paper. As the others watch he rubs the ashes on the back of his forearm and you slowly see the letters, “W E I S S”.

Mr. Riley thinks he just saw the devil himself, sends Bess to her room, and tells Erich there’s no place for him in the family and tells him to get out.

Erich says goodnight and tells them he hopes the dove of peace will find haven in their home, as he bows and suddenly from the folds of his coat he produces three doves that fly into the house.

Suddenly Bess comes from the side of the house to join Erich.

Erich and Bess get married by the Justice of the Peace.

Erich tells Bess that there are things she doesn’t know about him yet and that she has to swear on her life never to tell anyone no matter what.

Bess swears so help her, God!

Erich tells her that’s not enough, she has to swear on her life and her love for him.

Bess is a little worried and asks if he believes in God.

Erich tells her it is not a case of believing, but that all the things he can do himself are by the power and the will he has.

Bess tells him that God gave him that power.

Erich says he gets the power from working and is not saying there isn’t a God but so far he has been getting along on his own.

Bess swears on her life and love for Erich.

Erich takes Bess to her new home, where Mrs. Weiss is waiting with open arms.

The next morning, Erich tells Bess they have to begin to look for work and that they are going to have the greatest mind-reading act in show business that he learned from Robert Houdin.

Bess asks if Robert Houdin will mind if Erich shares it with her.

Erich says he has been dead for along time and he would like to be a man like him with his reputation and greatness.

Bess asks if they will known as Mr. and Mrs. Prospero?

Erich says no that’s not good and that he was thinking of taking Houdin’s name.

Bess suggests changing the name to Houdini because it sounds better and it really means like Houdin.

Erich thinks about it, and says they will be called The Great Houdinis.

To be continued…Sequence  C