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The Crimson Gardenia and Other Tales of Adventure

by Rex Beach (1877–1949)

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 11 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"The Crimson Gardenia and Other Tales of Adventure" by Rex Beach is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century. The narratives explore themes of adventure and romance, likely set against the backdrop of vibrant and tumultuous historical periods. The opening tale introduces Roland Van Dam, a New York society man who finds himself amidst the chaotic and colorful festivities of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where he encounters a masked maiden and becomes embroiled in a potentially dangerous adventure. At the start of the story, Van Dam is attending a parade with his disinterested friends when he becomes separated from them in the lively crowd. He buys a white gardenia, which he pins to his domino, and soon meets a petite masked girl who coincidentally mistakes him for someone else, leading to a sense of mystery and urgency. As they navigate through the carnival, the girl warns him of a looming danger, and their connection deepens amidst the chaos. The tension escalates when they are confronted by an assailant known as the Black Wolf, prompting Van Dam to act bravely in defense of the girl. This marks the beginning of their thrilling escapade, with each turn revealing more about the characters and the undercurrents of danger and romance that permeate the festive atmosphere.

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  • Fiction
  • Short stories
  • Adventure stories

Read the opening

Chapter I

The royal yacht had anchored amid a thunder of cannon, and the king had gone ashore. The city was bright with bunting; a thousand whistles blew. Up through the festooned streets His Majesty was escorted between long rows of blue-coated officers, behind which the eager crowds were massed for mile upon mile. Thin wire cables were stretched along the curbs, to hold the people back, but these threatened to snap before the weight of the multitude.

In the neighborhood of the raised pavilion where the queen and her maids of honor waited, the press was thickest; here rows of stands had been erected that groaned beneath their freight, while roof-tops and windows, trees and telegraph-poles, were black with clustered humanity.

The king was tall and dark; a long beard hid his face. But the queen was young and blushing, and her waiting-women were fairer than springtime flowers. To a crashing martial air, she handed him a sparkling goblet in which he pledged her happiness, while the street rocked to the roar of many voices, and in the open spaces youths, grotesquely costumed, danced with goblin glee.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter I
  5. Chapter II
  6. Chapter I
  7. Chapter II
  8. Chapter I
  9. Chapter II
  10. Chapter I
  11. Chapter II

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About this edition

This free edition of The Crimson Gardenia and Other Tales of Adventure by Rex Beach comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #32101, released 2010-04-23. 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: Short Stories, Romance, Adventure.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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