Continued from Sequence B
Houdini, running furiously approaches the station and looks at Bess sitting on their trunk crying.
Bess lets Houdini know that everybody is on the train going to Philadelphia where they are to appear in a performance at the Grand Theatre, a performance and paycheck they will undoubtedly miss.
Houdini sits on the trunk beside her and shows her the handcuffs he picked up in an old shop for six dollars.
The attendant tells them they can’t leave their trunk there and that there aint no train that stops here until tomorrow.
Suddenly there is a whistle from an express train and Houdini runs out on the tracks cuffs himself to the rail.
The train grinds to a screaming halt and the conductor asks if Houdini is trying to kill himself and Houdini replies he just trying to get to Philadelphia.
The conductor tells Houdini to unlock the cuffs and get out of here, but Houdini doesn’t have the key.
The conductor looks at him in silent rage and tries to open the cuffs to no avail.
Houdini tells conductor that if he puts his trunk, wife and himself on the train that he will be out of the cuffs before he can say Philadelphia.
The conductor tells Houdini he’s won and Houdini proceeds to get out of the cuffs under the cover of a handkerchief.
Bess and Houdini are sitting in one of the seats when a porter comes up to them and tells them there is a gentleman in the parlor car who would like to see Houdini.
Bess and Houdini follow the porter into the car and approach Martin Beck, the gentleman who was so amused at Houdini’s stunt on the tracks.
Beck tells that them they are in the wrong line of business, that the theatrical woods are full of best minding reading acts in the world, but the handcuff stunt you just worked on the tracks is valuable if he can do that with cuffs that aren’t prepared.
Houdini tells Beck the cuffs weren’t prepared and he can do it with any cuffs any locks.
Beck motions to a Sherriff sitting in a chair to take out his handcuffs and clamp them on Houdini’s wrists.
Beck puts his handkerchief over them and Houdini makes short of work of them.
Beck tells Houdini to forget about the mind-reading act, that he is going to make Houdini a headliner, and to be in his New York office the next morning at ten o’clock.
The next morning, they meet with Beck who has planned an European tour in which Houdini will be billed as an escape artist, accept challenges and perform miracles of liberation.
Beck informs Houdini, Mr. Powers (who acted as advance man for Sandow and Lillian Russell) is going to act as his manager, travel with them and arrange bookings and publicity.
The next morning, the boat whistle blows and you see Beck, Powers, Bess, Houdini and Mrs. Weiss.
Bess kisses Mrs. Weiss good-bye and then shakes hands with Beck as Houdini crosses over him to his mother.
Houdini kisses his mama and she tells him maybe I won’t be here to welcome you when you come back.
Houdini tells her she certainly will, but she says you never no God’s will.
Houdini tells her that the Old Fellow upstairs better have you here when he gets back or he is going to be mad at him.
Mrs. Weiss tells Houdini not to talk like that.
Houdini reiterates she will be here and that he is going to bring her jewels, silks and beautiful things.
Mrs. Weiss tells Houdini that there is only one thing she wants him to bring and that’s a leather pair of slippers from a little shop boot shop in Hamburg like she used to have when she was a little girl.
Houdini says he will get them and Mrs. Weiss reiterates if anything should happen to her, that he must always feel that she is near him.
Houdini doesn’t answer but kisses her.
To be continued…Sequence D