The Other Train - Production & Contact Info

The Other Train (1914)
Short | Short, Drama

The Other Train (1914)

Short | Short, Drama

In a dingy little attic, in one of the cheapest tenements in New York, a little old lady is huddled up in a chair by the side of a table. In her withered and trembling fingers is a letter, which informs her that she will be admitted to the...See moreIn a dingy little attic, in one of the cheapest tenements in New York, a little old lady is huddled up in a chair by the side of a table. In her withered and trembling fingers is a letter, which informs her that she will be admitted to the poor house. She goes to the railway station and asks the agent to inform her when the train arrives. He answers in the affirmative. She sinks into a bench and falls asleep. The agent under stress of business fails to wake her when the train arrives. She wakes up. The agent approaches and tells her the train has come and gone but that there will be another at 12 o'clock. The old lady again falls asleep. On the opposite wall dissolves of scenes from her life appear. She sees herself a maid again, pretty Mary Baxter. She sees again the young minister, John Gordon; she sees the wealth of love that beams from his eyes and tells his heart's story. She is his sweetheart. She hears again his plea for her love. Ah, had she but listened. Why did the beckoning figure of "Fame" entice her away? She refused the shelter of his love and left her home. The vision fades. The little old woman turns restlessly on the bench. Again a vision. Now she sees herself the leading lady of a burlesque show. Her beauty at its zenith, her popularity at its height. She has attained her ambition. The vision slowly fades. The little woman, as though troubled by restless dreams, turns again in her sleep. Then a vision appears. The exterior of a theatre. At the entrance door is a large poster featuring a beautiful woman in tights, "Babe Baxter, the Queen of Burlesque." John Gordon comes along. He sees the picture and stops. He does not see the gaudy poster; the woman in tights, those big red letters; he sees the little New England maid, his little sweetheart, Mary Baxter, who left home to seek her fortune. He thinks of her innocence, her youth, her ambition. Then he thinks of the lines he so often read: "There were Ninety and Nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold; But one was out on the hills away, Far off from the Hills of Gold." As he thinks of these lines, the poster dissolves into a vision of the blue hills of Bethlehem. He sees the shepherds tending their flocks. They count their sheep and one is missing. One shepherd looks about. He would look for the lost sheep. The other shepherd tells him to leave it. He shakes his head, "I love that sheep better than the rest." He leaves to seek it. John Gordon sees the bleakness of the wilderness. He sees the little lost sheep straying, stumbling along blindly. He sees the shepherd come on and gently take it up and place it on his shoulder and return with it to the fold. The vision fades and John Gordon is standing before the poster of Babe Baxter. He enters the theatre. His appearance is greeted with jeers. He heeds them not. His little New England sweetheart is before him on the stage. He goes to her dressing-room. Two gentlemen are with her. They retire with a smile of derision. Mary Baxter and John Gordon are alone. The modesty of former days returns and she hides her thinly-clad limbs from his sight. He begs her to leave that life and to come back to her old New England home. She refuses gently but firmly. The vision slowly fades and the little old woman is cuddled in the corner of the waiting room. Again a vision appears. She sees herself, some years later, still an actress, but what a difference. Her beauty that won all hearts is faded. The form that commanded the price of a leading lady is devoid of grace. She is forced to accept minor pans. She sinks lower and lower in her profession until even the meanest parts are denied her. She totters from the stage entrance, old, poor, feeble and gray. She totters across the threshold of her poor, dingy attic. She reads again the letter from the poor house. The vision fades. The little old woman sits back in the corner. The station door opens and John Gordon, the young minister, comes in and approaches the bent form, gently touches her and beckons her to follow. The head of the little old woman falls back against the wall. The form is still but from that form comes the spirit of Mary Baxter, pure, sweet and young. She is clothed in white garments and a smile rests on her face. She slowly follows John Gordon. Together they slowly approach to the foot of the Golden Stairs. Together they slowly mount to the throne of God. An angel with golden trumpet announces the coming of another soul. The agent in the waiting room approaches and touches the little old lady on the shoulder. People ask kindly if she is going to take this train. He lifts his hat. "She has taken the other train." Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

Contacts

+ Add

Become a member to see contact information for The Other Train.

Cast	+ Add Cast
6 cast members

Name	Known for
Margarita Fischer Mary Baxter Mary Baxter See fewer	Molly of the Follies (1919)
Harry A. Pollard Rev. John Gordon Rev. John Gordon See fewer	The Quest (I) (1915)
Fred Gamble Freddy Harvey Freddy Harvey See fewer	Chasing Trouble (1926)
Joe Harris Harold Preston (as Joseph Harris) Harold Preston (as Joseph Harris) See fewer	Bare Fists (1919)
Frank Cooley Circus Manager Circus Manager See fewer	Love Knows No Law (1914)
Perry Banks Station Agent Station Agent See fewer	In Trust (1915)