The scenes that open and close this story are similar but not identical.

The title of the story seems incongruous with the opening of the tale. The setting is the sun-drenched, golden, sleepy South. There is a languid, relaxed quality to both the description and the affected dialogue in this first sequence. Sally Carrol Harper seems like a typical Southern belle, but she has the bobbed hair and the high ideals of a modern girl.

In the conclusion, the story comes full circle as Sally Carrol returns to her home, eating fruit at her window as the golden sunlight surrounds her. The ice palace was almost a fairy tale: or a bad dream.