When Oriole traveled westward

Oriole Putnam has never known a New England winter, but the first holiday away from sunny Brazil finds her in Littleport, where a sudden black frost has locked the harbor in thick ice. The government ice‑breaker struggles to carve a channel, leaving the usual dory route to Harbor Island Light impossible and forcing Oriole to look for another way. Determined to keep her promise to Uncle Nat and the caring housekeeper Ma Stafford, she turns the frozen bay into a playground, trading her familiar roller‑skates for blades.

Skating with her friends from the Busy Bees and the twin children of the newly arrived Mr. Langdon, Oriole quickly masters the slick surface and begins to pull the twins across the ice on a sled. Their chatter about hot‑cake supper at the lighthouse adds warmth to the bitter wind, while the girl’s quick wit keeps the rambunctious siblings in line. As the sled rattles toward the beacon, the simple joy of the journey is tempered by the growing danger of the unforgiving ice.