
In the shimmering glow of an imagined old Charleston, the city is painted as a garden of endless summer—perfumed breezes, jeweled fruits, and streets alive with music and laughter. The prose invites listeners to wander through marble‑white balconies and turquoise skies, feeling the buoyant optimism of a world that seems forever young. Amid this radiant backdrop, a whispered legend begins to take shape, hinting that even the most dazzling scene carries a darker edge.
At the heart of the tale is Marguerite Lagoux, a brilliant milliner whose charm outshines the golden girls of San Domingo. Known by many names—including the envy‑spurring “Madame Margot”—her rise sparks both admiration and suspicion. As rivalries simmer and gossip threads through the fragrant alleys, listeners are drawn into a story where beauty, ambition, and a hint of the grotesque intertwine, promising a haunting portrait of love and rivalry in a city that never truly forgets.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (81K characters)
Series
The bat series
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: The Century Co., 1921.
Credits
Charlene Taylor, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2022-11-27
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1865–1956
Best known for imaginative historical adventures and for retelling folk stories from the South, this American writer and illustrator brought a strong visual sense to everything he wrote. His books for children and young readers helped preserve Gullah-inspired tales as well as old-fashioned storytelling charm.
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