didn't bring a flashlight."

"We can do that later. Right now let's take a look at the entrance. That
will tell us if there has been any traffic around."

The boards came off easily with the screech of old nails pulling loose.
In a few moments enough boards were pulled away to allow them to enter
on hands and knees. A top board was pulled off to admit light, and they
went in together, inspecting the ground closely.

"No sign of visitors," Scotty said. "Look at the dust. It hasn't been
disturbed for a half century."

Rick thought his pal probably was right about the length of time. The
dust was fine, and thick. No human tracks disturbed it, but the boys saw
the delicate tracery where a small animal, probably a field mouse or a
chipmunk, had left his spoor.

The tunnel was about eight feet high and wide enough for three people to
walk abreast. Probably the lead ore had been taken out in carts when the
mine was in use.

The shaft went straight in, past the range of light filtering in from
the entrance. Nowhere was there a sign of human occupancy or activity,
except for the ancient marks on the tunnel walls made by tools in the
hands of miners long dead.

"Nothing here," Rick said, and his voice was lost in the emptiness of
the shaft.

Scotty grunted. "Another dead end. Okay, where did the ghost come from?"

Rick didn't know. He couldn't even imagine. He puzzled over it as they
walked outside, then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Did you see any sign
of water in there? Or a pipe?"

"No. It was dry. No pipes. Why?"

"How was the original artesian well driven? Right into the hillside? If
so, why didn't the mine tunnel strike water?"

Scotty scratched his chin. "Now that you mention it, I haven't the
faintest idea. Have you?"

"Negative. I can't ever remember having so few ideas. But it's strange.
We'll have to ask Dr. Miller about it."

"Maybe the answer is deeper in the mine," Scotty replied. "Let's go back
and see."

Rick reminded him that they had no lights. "I suppose we could make
torches out of junk from the trash cans."

"Easy, if we can find some newspapers."

There were several trash cans spotted around the picnic area, and it was
indicative of the kind of neat people in the vicinity that they were
used. There was no litter.

The second can yielded two entire newspapers, one a bulky edition of a
Washington paper, the other a ten-page local sheet. The boys split the
papers evenly, then rolled t