w, the ghost always appears at nine."

Rick scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if he appears when
there's no audience?"

Scotty chuckled. "That's like the question about does a falling tree
make a noise if there's no one to hear it. How can you tell?"

"I just wondered if the ghost would appear for a small audience, like
one or two people."

"Meaning us," Scotty said with resignation. "When do we try, tonight?"

"Could be. Are there any picnics or meetings scheduled for tonight, Dr.
Miller?"

"Not that I know of. The next big affair is two days from now. The Sons
of the Old Dominion have their annual steak and crab feast. This is the
Old Dominion State, you know. It's a major event in this area."

"Then we'll try tonight," Rick stated, with a glance at Scotty. His pal
nodded.

Over a second hot dog, then a third, Rick continued his line of
questioning. Not until he began to ask more about details of mine
ownership did one interesting fact come to light. Dr. Miller had
received an offer to buy his property at a price considerably above the
going market rates just before the ghostly appearances started.

"The offer wasn't for all the property," Dr. Miller added. "Only for the
portion along our eastern line. It includes the field where you landed,
the picnic ground, and our part of the mine property. The house and
orchard were not included."

"How valuable is the part asked for?" Rick queried.

"Not valuable at all, except that the field could be used for hay or
alfalfa. That's why I was rather puzzled."

"Who wanted the land?" Scotty asked.

"I don't know. The offer came through Jethro Collins, a local
real-estate man. He said he was acting as agent for out-of-town
interests that preferred to remain unknown for political reasons. It
sounded fishy to me, and I refused."

"Because it might be crooked?" Rick asked quickly.

"No. That didn't occur to me. I thought that industrial interests might
want the property, and I'm not anxious to have a glue works or something
set up as a neighbor. Besides, I don't care for Collins. I'd rather not
do business with him."

"Could the old mine have any value?" Rick persisted.

"No. The lead remaining is of such poor grade that it wouldn't be of any
use. I'm sure that the mine would have been abandoned even before the
Civil War if the South hadn't needed the lead so badly. Of course we're
only part owners, anyway. My grandfather owned it jointly with the
Hille