AN EERIE TWIN-TOWERED CASTLE of white stone on an ice-bound island on a frozen winter lake, a nearby English manor house haunted by a flute playing ghost who roams the halls at night accompanied by a wolf, and a mysterious kidnapped girl from the p...
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PHOTO above - Christmas tree in the Ice Castle
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Searching for Lorraine, the Dana girls get trapped in the storm ...
"Look at the Christmas tree!" Jean exclaimed. "Isn't it lovely?"
"I'll say it is," agreed Louise. "It seems like the holiday season is never going to end this winter."
The girls had shed their coats and boots and stepped into the castle's Great Room where the sight of their aunt and uncle and the Symingtons trimming a tall well-shaped spruce met their eyes.
"It's the perfect tree," Aunt Harriet said. "Frank and Joe went out back to chop it down, and we have been trimming it with these lovely decorations."
"We always decorated a tree here at the Ice Castle for the holiday season," Mary Symington told the girls. "Lorraine loved coming to the castle, especially at Christmas time."
"If the sight of the tree at Bleak Acres jogged her memory a little," said Mr. Symington, as he plugged a line of lights into a wall socket, "then we are hoping that seeing this tree will bring back even more memories."
The tree sprang to life as the colorful lights lit up, and its cheery glow considerably lessened the austere atmosphere of the massive medieval room.
"There! That tops it off," declared Uncle Ned, who was standing on a step ladder. He had just placed a bright feathery angel atop the tree. Stepping off the ladder to the rustic flagstone floor, he added, "I am glad to see you girls back safe and sound before the storm hits full force. I take it you were unsuccessful in tracking down Lorraine?"
Louise nodded gravely. "We are hoping she returned to the reservation and will be safe in Chakwanna's cabin during the blizzard. But we did help capture Eddie and Tina Arrow."
She went on to relate their adventure at the cabin in the hills, to which the adults listened attentively as they finished the final touches to their tree trimming.
"My word!" Mary Symington exclaimed, plopping down into an armchair. "You girls certainly are brave beyond expectation. Harriet, did you purposely raise Jean and Louise to be adventurers?"
Aunt Harriet chuckled as she placed the lid on a box that had held decorations. "I think they got that from their Uncle Ned. He is the one who travels the world in search of adventure."
Uncle Ned looked at her askance. "Being the captain of a large steamship does not rate very high on the excitement scale. I know for a fact that my nieces have far more intriguing adventures than I do."
"Which are usually wrapped up to nice tidy conclusions," Jean said in dismal tones.
"Right." Louise picked up on Jean's thoughts. "This case is still open-ended. We have yet to find Lorraine!"
"Don't fret, my dears," Mrs. Symington told them. "Those evil people who kidnapped my daughter have been captured, and there is every reason to believe that Lorraine will eventually return to us. It is just a matter of time."
