The Walking Delegate
by Leroy Scott (1875–1929)
- Free to read
- 6 hours to read
- 33 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Walking Delegate" by Leroy Scott is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story centers around Tom Keating, a foreman in the ironworkers' union, who is embroiled in a power struggle against Buck Foley, the corrupt walking delegate. The narrative delves into themes of labor rights, integrity, and the personal and professional challenges faced by workers in a rapidly industrializing society. At the start of the novel, we find ourselves at the St. Etienne Hotel construction site, where Tom diligently oversees the work of his crew amidst harsh winter winds and the looming presence of Foley. As accidents and tensions mount, it becomes evident that the workers are increasingly frustrated with Foley's iron-fisted control and corruption within the union. The opening chapters introduce key characters and lay the groundwork for the evolving conflict between Tom's desire for honest representation and Foley’s self-serving tactics, setting the stage for a gripping tale of loyalty, struggle, and the quest for justice in the gritty world of labor.
- New York (N.Y.)
- Strikes and lockouts
- Labor unions
- Construction industry
Read the opening
Chapter I
ON THE ST. ETIENNE HOTEL
The St. Etienne Hotel would some day be as bulky and as garishly magnificent as four million dollars could make it. Now it was only a steel framework rearing itself into the center of the overhead grayness—a black pier supporting the grimy arch of heaven.
Up on its loosely-planked twenty-first story stood Mr. Driscoll, watching his men at work. A raw February wind scraped slowly under the dirty clouds, which soiled the whole sky, and with a leisurely content thrust itself into his office-tendered flesh. He shivered, and at times, to throw off the chill, he paced across the pine boards, carefully going around the gaps his men were wont to leap. And now and then his eyes wandered from his lofty platform. On his right, below, there were roofs; beyond, a dull bar of water; beyond, more roofs: on his left there were roofs; a dull bar of water; more roofs: and all around the jagged wilderness of house-tops reached away and away till it faded into the complete envelopment of a smudgy haze. Once Mr. Driscoll caught hold of the head of a column and leaned out above the street; over its dizzy bottom erratically shifted dark specks—hats. He drew back with a shiver with which the February wind had nothing to do.
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About this edition
This free edition of The Walking Delegate by Leroy Scott comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #41154, released 2012-10-23. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, American Literature.
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