Ragtime Chapter 17 Summary

  • Onboard the train, a doctor tends to Tateh's injuries. In Philadelphia Tateh and his daughter sleep on a bench in the station.
  • In the morning, Tateh sees that they will win the strike, but is discouraged. Even winning still means he and his daughter will be poor.
  • He decides to quit the textile mills. They walk the streets of Philadelphia and come to the Franklin Novelty Company store, full of things like magic tricks and exploding eggs. Tateh sells his flipbook to the company for twenty-five dollars, with an agreement for four more books at twenty-five dollars each. They'll call them movie books.