The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Machine, by Upton Sinclair

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Title: The Machine

Author: Upton Sinclair

Posting Date: February 28, 2009 [EBook #3304]
Release Date: July, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE MACHINE

By Upton Sinclair

CHARACTERS

(In order of appearance)

JULIA PATTERSON: a magazine writer.
JACK BULLEN: a parlor Socialist.
LAURA HEGAN: Hegan's daughter.
ALLAN MONTAGUE: a lawyer.
JIM HEGAN: the traction king.
ANNIE ROBERTS: a girl of the slums.
ROBERT GRIMES: the boss.
ANDREWS: Hegan's secretary.
PARKER: a clerk.

ACT I

Julia Patterson's apartments in a model tenement on the lower East
Side.

ACT II

Library at "The Towers," Hegan's country place on Long Island, two
weeks later.

ACT III

Hegan's private office in Wall street, the next morning.

THE MACHINE

ACT I

[JULIA PATTERSON'S apartments in a model tenement on the lower East
Side. The scene shows the living-room, furnished very plainly, but in
the newest taste; "arts and crafts" furniture, portraits of Morris and
Ruskin on the walls; a centre table, a couple of easy-chairs, a divan
and many book-shelves. The entrance from the outer hall is at centre;
entrance to the other rooms right and left.]

[At rise: JULIA has pushed back the lamp from the table and is having a
light supper, with a cup of tea; and at the same time trying to read a
magazine, which obstinately refuses to remain open at the right place.
She is an attractive and intelligent woman of thirty. The doorbell
rings.]

JULIA. Ah, Jack! [Presses button, then goes to the door.]

JACK. [Enters, having come upstairs at a run. He is a college graduate
and volunteer revolutionist, one of the organizers of the "Society of
the Friends of Russian Freedom"; handsome and ardent, eager in manner,
and a great talker.] Hello, Julia. All alone?

JULIA. Yes. I expected a friend, but