A 1930's style Dana Girls fanfiction book. Halloween is nearing and the Dana Girls are planning an exciting dance at Starhurst School for Girls to celebrate the holiday. They plan to attend dressed as Alexander and Lydia, the two romantic ghosts who...
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PHOTO above - Dana Girls #1 By the Light of the Study Lamp, 1930s original edition
Is Starhurst School haunted by the ghosts of young lovers?
"For goodness sake, Evelyn," sixteen year old blonde Jean Dana exclaimed with widened eyes. "You never mentioned before that Starhurst is haunted."
"Glory be!" laughed her sister Louise, a striking brunette who was a year older. "We are living in a house filled with ghosts and didn't even know it?"
The Dana girls' friend Evelyn Starr rolled her eyes in amusement. "There are only two ghosts, girls, not a houseful. And my brother and I never spoke about them because we didn't want the legend to interfere with the sale of the Starr estate."
All three girls were students at Starhurst School for Girls, located near Penfield. The exclusive academy had formerly been the sprawling Starr estate, owned for generations by Evelyn's family. After the deaths of her parents, she and her brother had sold the property to Professor and Mrs. Crandall, the headmistress, who had converted it into the now well-known establishment of learning. Evelyn had been able to stay on at Starhurst as a student thanks to the Dana girls, who had restored good fortune to her and her brother by finding the missing Starr jewels by the light of a study lamp.
"Only two ghosts?" laughed the irrepressible Jean gaily. "I should surely like to see at least one of them."
"Indeed," agreed the more serene Louise. "That would be fun. Why haven't they made an appearance since the house and grounds have been turned into a school?"
Evelyn shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm glad they haven't. It would be mortifying to have to explain them to Professor and Mrs. Crandall."
"Perhaps the ghosts don't like all the girls being on the property," Jean suggested, "and they've gone into hiding?"
"Just Lettie Briggs alone would scare off most ghosts," Louise joked, speaking of a girl who was a troublesome and unpopular student.
Evelyn nodded her head and laughed. "I agree that our mix of girls at Starhurst would be a challenge to anyone, even ghosts. But they never made even one appearance in all the years that I lived in the mansion." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "However, when my father was young there were some sightings. His mother, my grandmother Starr, was quite fearful of the ghosts."
The three girls were sitting on a bus which was heading in the direction of downtown Penfield. It was a sunny day in late October and they were off on a shopping expedition for Halloween decorations. The holiday was only a few days away and they needed some items for display in the Red Room parlor where a student masquerade party was to be held.
Louise and Jean were warming up to the idea of ghosts at Starhurst. They were always interested in mysteries and puzzles, and they were anxious to know more about this one.
