A message from Dragonquirk: I would like to thank everyone for their kind words on the message board. I hope you all enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them.  My biggest thanks goes to barbln for her wonderful, wonderful site, giving all us fans a place to hang out. Thanks,  dragonquirk.

The Mystery of the Haunted Mine

by Dragonquirk

Fifteen year old Trixie Belden was staring out the window looking at the fluffy white clouds rolling past.  No matter how many times she had been in a plane, she still never got tired of the thrill of flying.

"Imagining yourself out there in the clouds, Trixie?" Honey Wheeler asked, her hazel eyes twinkling.

Trixie laughed and turned to look at her best friend.  Sometimes Honey could read her mind.

"Isn't this exciting, Honey?" she said aloud.

Honey nodded and put a finger to her lips, motioning Trixie to be quiet, and looked down at the curly blond head sleeping in the seat between them.

Trixie grinned down at her younger brother Bobby who had promptly gone to sleep after the in-flight snack.

In a lower voice she said, "It was great of Uncle Harold and Aunt Eleanor to invite all the Bob-Whites along with us to their house in Idaho this week.  If only Di wasn't in Arizona, we would all be here."

"It is the week between Christmas and New Year's, you know.  Di and her family go out every other year to her Uncle's ranch, but you're right, Trixie, we will miss her. On the other hand, it's nice that Dan could come.  It would have been awfully lonely at home for him with Mr. Maypenny visiting his nephew over the holidays."

Honey was quick to sense other people's sadness having been a lonely child herself, literally a poor little rich girl until she met Trixie when her parents bought the Mansion up on the hill from the Belden farmhouse.  Since then, they had many adventures together and both girls planned to form the Belden-Wheeler Detective agency when they were older.

Together with Trixie's older brothers Brian and Mart, and Honey's adopted brother Jim Frayne and their friends Dan Managan and Diana Lynch, they formed the Bob-Whites of the Glen, a secret club with the motto of helping others in need.   Together they had worked for Unicef and many local charities and solved some mysteries on the way.

"Are you sure your family wants to have Jim and Dan and me along on their visit?  I remember you said it has been a while since all of you have gotten together."

"Of course we want you!" exclaimed Trixie, blue eyes sparkling.  "It's not like you three are strangers or anything.   And Uncle Harold's house is huge. It's not quite as big as the Manor House, but there's definitely room to spare." Trixie ran a hand through her sandy curls.  "I'm glad you are coming, Honey."

She added in a more serious tone,"The last time our families got together in Idaho was five years ago and I ended up in the doghouse over a silly fight with Hallie."  She scowled at the memory. 

Trixie had three cousins. Knut was the oldest, calm and reliable like her older brother Brian.  Capelton Belden, or Cap, was an individual like her brother Mart, only Cap didn't tease her as much.  He was quite the naturalist and probably would get a job as a forest ranger when he graduated from high school in June.  But her cousin Hallie.… 

Hallie was one year younger than Trixie, but a good three inches taller. Taking her looks from the dark side of the family, which included Knut, Brian, Uncle Harold, and Peter Belden, Trixie's father, Hallie could easily pass for a teenage model with her long limbs and natural grace.

Gracefulness was not a term used much to describe Trixie, who was completely opposite Hallie in looks. She was short and blonde, with huge blue eyes that belied a firecracker temper.  It was this temper that had often gotten her in trouble when she was younger, for her cousin could stay calm while Trixie would lose her temper and get scolded by their parents.

Honey smiled at Trixie's scowl.  "You and Hallie seemed to get along well last time we saw her."

Trixie relaxed into a grin. "We both like mysteries, and that's a start," she said.

Honey was about to reply when Mart poked his head over the seat in front of them, rolling his blue eyes, and grabbing his blonde crew cut in a desperate fashion.

"I, for one, do not wish that word anywhere near my auditory senses this week," he said with a grimace.

Trixie scowled back at him. 

"The Upcoming Belden Reunion will be a veritable feast of chaos without our infamous detective on a wild goose, or should I say ghost, chase."

Trixie decided to ignore him, and shrugging her shoulders at Honey, she turned to gaze out the window again. 

Mart, puzzled at not being able to get a rise out of his sister, mimicked her shrug, and sat down again.

As she watched the plane descend through the clouds, Trixie sighed. 

I wish I did have a mystery to solve, she thought, It certainly would make a week with all my relatives easier. 

Turning away from the window, she helped Honey wake Bobby and fasten their seatbelts as the plane circled down upon northern Idaho.

*   *   *

The dark blue rental van and Harold Belden's sedan pulled into the gravel lane which would take them to the Idaho Belden's household.  Peter Belden's two brothers had met the group at the airport.  Already Bobby had attached himself to his bachelor Uncle Andrew, who in turn loved the attention from the curious seven year old who had been asking non-stop questions since he woke up.  Trixie's parents were riding with Harold Belden, the oldest of the three, and the rest of the Bob-Whites crammed into the van with Andy Belden, the youngest of the brothers.

The trip to the Belden Homestead had been a pleasant drive, with miles of the scenic snow- covered Idaho hills to greet the visitors from New York State.

Uncle Andrew parked the van in the parking area near the large estate at the foot of the mountain.  Nestled near a grove of white pines, with a long balcony off the second floor rooms creating a shady porch underneath, Hallie's home always reminded Trixie of a rustic Swiss chalet.  She remembered when Cap and Mart once dangled creepy looking fake reptiles and spiders off the upper porch to scare the girls, and were deeply disappointed when Trixie and Hallie didn't bat an eyelash at their tactics.

Trixie could see her older cousin Knut heading toward the vehicles, a pretty blonde girl following close behind. 

"Looks like my poor cousin has acquired the ball and chain already," Mart commented to Dan.

Trixie turned to glare at Mart.  "I think it's great that Knut and Gloria are engaged," she said.

Mart shook his head woefully as they got out of the van.  "I thought Knutson had more sense.  I guess that's what the working world does to a man.  Goes to work at the family trade, gets himself betrothed.   I tell you lads, dark days are before us." 

Brian Belden rolled his eyes at his brother's antics and started to unload the luggage from the back of the van.

Handsome red-haired Jim Frayne winked at Trixie on his way to help Brian.  "I wonder if Di would agree with those sentiments if she were here?" he said.

Trixie and Honey suppressed giggles.  Mart was rather fond of the Lynch girl, a feeling that was not unrequited.

 Adequately shushed, Mart was only heard to mutter, "Would that she was", under his breath as he bent to pick up his luggage.

While Knut and Gloria were busy greeting Trixie's parents and Bobby, Hallie Belden burst forth from a side door of the huge house.  Letting it slam behind her, she raced down the driveway to greet the travelers, pausing only near a rustic barn to yell, "Hey Birdbrain, they're here!"

Trixie doubted she would ever overcome a teensy bit of jealousy over her cousin.  Her long dark hair flowed behind her as she ran, and the red sweater she wore complemented her eyes, which were the color of ripe blackberries and sparkled with excitement as she came closer to the group.

"Wow," Dan breathed softly.

Trixie smiled, remembering her cousin and the quiet gamekeeper's assistant also shared a mutual fondness for each other. 

As Hallie took turns hugging and greeting the group, Cap emerged from the barn.  Hallie's last letter east had mentioned her brother fixing up the old building, which had been vacant from animals for quite some time.  Cap had built himself a snug little apartment in the upper half of the barn, and with his parent's hearty approval, moved himself and his many collections of relics from nature into it.  Hallie had written of her mother's delight at not having deer skulls, rattles, rocks and other assorted items all around the house. 

The last time they had seen Cap, he had mildly shocked the New Yorkers with his long ponytail, tied neatly with a leather thong.  Trixie grinned widely to see that Cap had now enhanced his look with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee, which again caused a double take on the part of her clean- shaven brothers.  Trixie remarked later to Honey that she rather liked the look, as it strengthened, in her opinion, Cap's resemblance to their Uncle Andrew.

Chatting merrily, the group gathered the luggage and made its way into the large house.

*   *   *

Trixie and Hallie sighed in unison as they finally reached the peace and quiet of Hallie's room.  Watching, Honey giggled as the cousins sat down on Hallie's bed, Trixie covering her still blushing face with her hands, and Hallie, flopping back on the bed, arms spread wide, staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

"If I ever have children.…" Trixie began.

"I will never subject them to that!" finished Hallie.

"It wasn't that bad," Honey tried to placate her friends.

Both girls sat up and glared at her.  "Not at all," said Trixie.  "If you like hearing about how grown-up looking you've become in front of all your friends and family."

Hallie stood up to do a perfect imitation of her mother. "My goodness, Helen, how mature these children seem."

Trixie jumped into the game. "Why yes, Eleanor,look how beautifully Hallie has grown into her long frame."

Hallie pretended to scrutinize Trixie.  "And just look at how nicely Beatrix has filled out, "she said.

Honey was holding her sides, shaking with laughter.  "All right," she gasped. "You win!  I go through the same thing with my great aunts." 

Her eyes twinkled at Trixie.  "Although I don't have to hear about my 'filling out',"she said, a bit ruefully.

Blushing again, Trixie lobbed a pillow at her.  Always a little shorter and heavier than Honey and Di when younger, now the years had brought more curves to Trixie's form than the other two girls, and she was highly uncomfortable with the fact.  Hallie, too, seemed ill at ease with growing up.

"Well, I hope that Mom and Auntie have gotten all that out of their system by the time we go downstairs," Hallie exclaimed.

Trixie nodded her agreement.

Still giggling, Honey tossed Trixie back her pillow. "If not, I guess I will be bringing dinner trays up to you all week."

Hallie helped them unpack and fix the two comfortable cots set up in her room for her guests.

"Oh, but the worst is yet to come," she muttered darkly.

"What do you mean?" demanded Trixie.

"I don't know about you, but the phrase "home movies" frightens me," said the Idaho girl in her unmistakable drawl.

Trixie flopped down on her cot and let out a loud moan.

"You ok, Trixie?"  Brian, the future doctor-to-be, poked his head in the open doorway with a concerned look. 

Hallie and Trixie exchanged mischievous looks, and Hallie strode over to her older cousin.  "My, my, my," she exclaimed. "How big and strong you've gotten, Brian.  And so ma-ture." She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.  "And you were such a darling little fellow."

Trixie sprang off her cot.  "Why yes," she mimicked her cousin.  "And I'm so happy we get to see him toddle across the screen again when Uncle Andrew gets out his old movies." She looked meaningfully at him.

Her brother paled, and clutched at his stomach in mock horror.  "It seems what you have is catching, Trix." And he walked slowly down the hall to the room he and Jim shared near Knut's bedroom.

"Well, I'm going to go help set the dinner table."  Honey smiled at the two other girls.  "I think it will be wonderful to see old movies of all of you. I can't wait."

She ran for the door as Trixie and Hallie reached for their pillows.  With an impending sense of doom, they slowly followed her downstairs to the kitchen.

By adding a foldout table beside an enormous trestle table, enough dining space had been made to accommodate the guests in the large dining area.  The Idaho Beldens did employ a maid and a cook, but both were on leave over the holidays.   With the two mothers, Gloria, and the girls, the dinner preparations went smoothly. The men of the family brought in wood, and set up the large living area for the evening entertainment.

Right now the dining room was filled with lively, cheerful conversation underneath the shining silver décor on the walls.  Seated between Jim and Knut, Trixie listened to a conversation on her left with Cap, Dan, Jim and her Uncle Andrew about nature conservancy, and one on her right about needlework which her mother, her aunt, and Gloria and Honey were deep into, and at the same time, finished telling Knut about solving the mystery of a whispering statue at the local museum.

Trixie liked the way that her tall cousin with the thick glasses listened amid the chaos in his quiet way.  When she was finished, he told her of his job at the family mining company, pausing occasionally to glance down to the other end of the table, where Mart and Bobby were holding court with their infamous tongue twisters.

After the raucous meal, the teenagers shooed the adults into the living room, clearing the table and making quick work of the dishes and the kitchen clean up.  They then filed into the comfortable living room, with its high, open ceiling with great wooden beams and huge fireplace, around which everyone gathered on the comfortable furniture or floor cushions.  The crackling fire and delicious meal had a calming effect on the group, and the room finally lulled into a blissful silence. 

Taking advantage of the calm, Harold Belden stood to address the room. "I want to thank you all for coming here.  It's been much too long since my brothers and I have been together, and it certainly is nice to see my niece and nephews again and to meet you, Honey, Jim, and Dan." 

He raised his glass of mulled cider from the big kettle by the fire as a toast. Everyone followed suit as Peter Belden smiled at his brother. 

"Thank you, Harold, for having the clan out here.   Fortunately, we will not have to wait so long to reunite again," he said, smiling at Knut and Gloria. 

 Hallie's mother smiled at her future daughter-in-law and said,  "Only two years and they will go by too fast.  There is so much to do before the wedding…."

Andrew Belden stood up.  "Before the ladies get started on wedding preparations again, " he said, winking at his brothers, "I propose we take a look at the past before we look toward the future." 

Groans came from the younger Beldens as he walked over to the home movie projector and fiddled with it. 

"What kind of movie are we going to watch?" asked Bobby.

"The woeful tales of the bumbling Beatrix," chortled Mart, dodging Trixie's kick.

"Movies of your family that were taken a long time ago, Bobby,"  Honey patiently explained to him.

"Am I in them?" Bobby asked.

"You were probably one or two years old," said Cap, passing around bowls of freshly popped corn. 

"There might even be a film of Mart and Cap at that age," said Helen Belden.

Bobby giggled at the thought of the older kids as babies. 

"Ready!" called Uncle Andrew to Cap, who switched off the lights as the film began. 

The living room of Crabapple farm flickered into view with a glimpse of the three Belden brothers posing by the fireplace.  Quickly the camera panned down to see a dark-haired toddler vigorously patting a year-old baby on the head.

Trixie couldn't help but laugh at the young Knut and Brian playing together. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gloria lean over to murmur something in Knut's ear, and even saw Brian laughing at the sight of the two boys running around the living room. The evening continued on in that fashion until the mugs and popcorn bowls were empty, the movie long over, and the group yawning and nodding their heads.  Bobby had dozed off during the film and been put in his room.  The elder Beldens were still looking at old scrapbooks when Trixie and Hallie were cleaning up the remaining mugs and washing them.  Mart, Cap, and Brian were examining a very old album with a lot of the great-great-grandparents pictured, trying to place faces on the family tree.   At the sink, Trixie could hear the low rumble of male voices as Jim and Dan sat on the porch outside looking at the stars.

Later that evening, the girls were settled in Hallie's room. As Honey brushed her straight shoulder length hair, Hallie and Trixie stretched out on their beds.

Hallie fiddled with one of the braids she usually put in her long hair before she went to sleep.  "Trix?" she asked softly.

Trixie looked up from tracing imaginary shapes on her pillowcase.

"Do you think I said something to offend Dan tonight?"  She frowned.  "He seemed kind of quiet when we were looking through the albums, and then he wandered out onto the porch for a while."

Trixie exhaled softly.  Hallie had put her finger on the elusive thing that had been bothering her since they went to bed. "Yes, Dan was quiet, and so was Jim.  I notice he looked a bit sad when he joined Dan on the porch."  Trixie was frowning now, too.

"I think I know," said Honey quietly.  They looked over at the tender-hearted girl, who sat holding her hairbrush with tears in her eyes. 

Looking at Honey, Trixie suddenly knew what was wrong. "It's because neither of them has any past memories, isn't it?" she said softly.

Honey smiled ruefully at her.  "None that they could display in a photo album, anyway.   Dan's family had no books or pictures.   Jim has no links to his past except for his cousin, Juliana, and she's living in Holland.  He has our family and relatives, of course, but it's not the same. "

Both the Belden girls' faces fell, remembering Dan and Jim's rough lives before they came to Sleepyside.  Dan's father had died when he was young, and after his Mother died he was living with a gang on the streets of New York City.  He was sent to work for Mr. Maypenny, the Wheelers' gamekeeper, where he could be close to his only living relative, his Uncle Regan, who ran the Stables on the large estate.  Country living and the Bob-Whites had given Dan a second start on life and he showed his gratitude in his hard work, as was typical of his quiet nature.

Trixie went back to tracing imaginary shapes on her pillow as she thought of Dan and Jim's histories.  Jim had been the subject of Trixie and Honey's first case, a starved orphan running away from a cruel stepfather who had beat him. Honey's parents adopted him, and gave him a fine life, which he was never slow to appreciate.

Still, she thought, Jim would find a small family scrapbook a treasure worth more than a pot of gold.

Honey again seemed to sense her thoughts because she said, as she climbed under the covers, "Jim mentioned only once that I know of, that he remembers family scrapbooks he looked at when he was a kid, but he wouldn't know where to search for them now."

The girls said goodnight to one another and settled into the darkness. 

Someday, Trixie thought as sleep overcame her, the Belden Wheeler Detective Agency is going to find those books. 

Pounding her pillow to punctuate the vow, she rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

*  *  *

The morning sunlight streamed brightly into the kitchen and dining rooms as the group slowly and sleepily gathered for breakfast. 

Cap and his father were doling out scrambled eggs and fragrant strips of bacon.  Dan was presiding over the toaster, and Mart kept up a lively banter while alternately pouring orange juice and coffee for everyone. 

Trixie sleepily sat down at the table next to her Uncle Andrew.  Bobby came racing over to sit across from his uncle, dragging Mart, who was carrying his juice, with him.

The first thing out of Bobby's mouth was to ask his uncle when they could see the movie again.

"Gleeps, Bobby, do we have to hear about the home movies first thing in the morning?" Trixie wailed.

"But I loved them!" the little boy exclaimed.  "'specially when you were upside down!  That was so funny!"  And he broke off into a series of giggles while Trixie glared at him.

"Yes, Bobby, our beloved sister's escapades at that Easter gathering was definitely the cinematic highlight of the evening." Mart grinned wickedly at his sister.

"It was pretty funny, Trix," chortled Hallie.

Dan, sitting on the other side of Hallie, said nothing, but his dark eyes were full of merriment.

"It was definitely an indication of her investigative nature," said their Uncle Andrew.   "When I hid that egg in the empty barrel, I thought one of the older boys would find it, but our Trixie nosed it out and wouldn't give up on trying to get at it."  He chuckled.

Trixie's face flushed at the memory of watching the old film last night.

Trying to reach the egg, she had lost her balance and got stuck in the barrel, head-first.

"I was only 7...." she mumbled.

Honey who was beside her couldn't help laughing. 

As Trixie gave her a grim look, Hallie added, "It wouldn't be so bad, Trixie, but the sight of you head first in a barrel waving your chubby legs about…."

"I only wish we had on film what Hallie managed to do later that day."  All eyes turned to Uncle Andrew. 

"What was that?" said Trixie, happy to share the spotlight in this situation.

"Well," Uncle Andrew began, "Miss Hallie was wearing that frilly little pink dress that Eleanor made for her.  At some point after the egg hunt, while we adults were enjoying the morning on the porch, she decided to ride that old mule I used to keep out back of the farmhouse."

Knut joined them with a smile on his face. "I remember this story," he said, grinning at his younger sister.

"Well, I don't.  What happened next?" asked Trixie.

"Well, Hallie managed to get those long legs of hers up over the fence and jumped onto the mule, which proceeded to dump her into the biggest mud puddle on the farm."

Laughter went around the table, as everyone had gathered to hear the story.

"But that's not the end," he continued. "She knew she would be in trouble for getting her dress dirty, so she decided to roll around the barn's haymow to wipe the mud off."

"And you can just imagine what kind of creature marched politely into the house when it was time for Easter Dinner," finished Harold Belden, smiling at his daughter, who was looking sheepish.

"I believe that was the day we definitely knew we had two tomboys to deal with," remarked Trixie's mom.

"I still can't get over what happened to that dress." Hallie's mother was shaking her head.

Seeing how uncomfortable his two nieces were, Andy Belden stood and patted Trixie's shoulder and smiled at Hallie.  "Don't worry, girls.  We aren't going to be telling stories all day long."

Still chuckling, he took his empty mug to the kitchen for more coffee.

"Did we have any plans for the day?" asked Brian courteously.

Knut stood up and said, "I believe we promised to take Bobby for a tour around our property, didn't we, Cap?"

Cap tousled the small boy's hair.  "Yep!  Anyone want to tag along?"  He was met with agreement on all sides.

"Not the young ladies, I'm afraid," interrupted his mother.  "We have something to do this morning." And with a smile, she and Helen Belden walked towards the kitchen.

Trixie watched enviously as the boys put coats on and trooped outside.  She looked over at Hallie whose sour face matched her own.

"What do you suppose this is all about?" her cousin asked.

"How would I know?  It's your house!" was Trixie's short reply.

Frustrated, she began to clear what was left of the dishes off the table. 

Honey was already wiping counters in the kitchen, and she smiled at the cousins.  "I believe your parents are going to give pie baking lessons to Gloria and me this morning."

She waved to the pretty blonde who was entering the kitchen door as she spoke.

Hallie's mom handed the girls aprons.  "It's time you learned the Belden family recipes instead of chasing your brothers through the forest," she said to her daughter.

"Or chasing mysteries," added Trixie's mother, shaking her head at Trixie.

"But Moms…." she began.

"No buts, Trixie.  I thought at fifteen you would be well out of your tomboy years.  When I was your age, your grandmother and great-grandmother had taught your Aunt Alicia and me how to knit and sew, and we knew all of her recipes by heart."

She and Eleanor started taking pots and pans out of the kitchen.

Trixie sighed.  She knew that when her mother used that tone of voice, there was no argument.  Hallie brought a large basket of apples up from the basement and the two girls sat in silence, peeling and paring them into a large bowl.  They listened while Honey and Gloria went through the steps of making a pecan pie.

Trixie kept her eyes on the apple she was slicing.   I shouldn't complain, she thought.  She looked over at her best friend, who was clearly delighting in the opportunity to work in the kitchen, something she rarely got to do at home. 

Mrs. Wheeler was a lovely but delicate woman, and rarely set foot in their kitchen, which was presided over by a very capable cook.

Miss Trask, Honey's governess when she was younger and needed more care, now was in charge of running the household.  It was a huge job, but Miss Trask kept things running smoothly, always with her crisp, pleasant manner.  Honey's parents were spending the week visiting old friends in their apartment in New York City, so Miss Trask was free to spend the holiday with her brother and sister at the family inn that her brother ran.

Trixie remembered that Miss Trask didn't always get along with her family, either.

I hope she is having a nice family reunion. Trixie sighed to herself. 

Women in both sides of Trixie's family treasured the recipes and traditions passed on, as old photos in the albums clearly showed.  One photo showed a young Helen Belden learning her new mother-in-law's recipes in the Belden kitchen.  She knew her mother was grateful for that time spent with both of Trixie's grandmothers.  She sighed again. 

This Belden isn't feeling very grateful.

After she and Hallie finished slicing the apples, they went to work on the empty counter space making the crusts.  Trixie watched her cousin's long, slim fingers knead, then roll the dough, and then fold it into quarters to center it in the pans.  Together they made six pies, marking each one with a different pattern.  Trixie marked her last pie with bird tracks, which Hallie said must be chicken tracks.  A short argument ensued, stopping only when Honey remarked that they must be escaping blackbird tracks, like the nursery rhyme.

The rest of the morning the kitchen was filled with quiet conversation.  While the pies were baking, Gloria and Honey, under watchful eye of the elder Beldens, started chicken pot pie in the huge stainless steel pots on the stove.  Trixie and Hallie made sandwiches and hot chocolate for lunch.  Honey was rolling the last of the noodle dough and cutting it into squares. 

"I always wondered where you got the lovely thick noodles for your pot pie, Mrs. Belden," she said to Trixie's mom.  "I never knew they were home made."

She placed them into a container to be added to the brewing chicken and vegetables later. 

"Don't shake off too much flour from them, Honey," Mrs. Belden said.  "The flour is what makes the broth thicken up when we add the noodles. "

Trixie wrapped up the pile of sandwiches and put them on the kitchen table.

Turning, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror hanging on the pantry door.  The figure in the mirror seemed a stranger to her, almost echoing generations of little rosy-cheeked Dutch women in white aprons, bustling about old fashioned kitchens happily.  She scowled at the image before her, wiping a dusting of flour off her cheek with a hasty gesture.

Somehow, this older, domesticated reflection didn't match how she felt inside.

Taking off her apron, she muttered,"You certainly don't look like a detective today!" to the betraying image.

The sounds of everyone coming in from the tour of the mountainside property sent her back into the kitchen to help dole out hot chocolate and hear about the walk, leaving her serious thoughts and the apron behind her.

"That's quite a neat setup you have in the barn, Cap," remarked Jim after lunch.

  Everyone had gathered in the comfortable living room after lunch. 

Cap grinned his thanks as he flopped down on a cushion near the fire place. 

"If the dorms at collage made as good use of their space as you do, Cap, we could probably fit two more guys in our room.  The way you have the shelving set into the furniture is sheer genius,"  Brian added.

"He had to think of some way to store all that junk he has," drawled Hallie.

"The real beauty of my sanctuary," said Cap, "is the fact that it is a sister-free environment."

Hallie merely stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah, that is an arrangement worth its weight in gold," sighed Mart, flopping down next to his cousin. "Any area devoid of the female siblings is truly a sanctuary in all means of the word.  No scatterbrained intrusions of any sort, with the lone exception of the occasional homage, bringing offerings from her toil in the kitchen.  In my beloved sibling's case, burnt offerings."

Trixie raised an eyebrow at him.  "I don't know what you are saying, but if you are talking about burning things, I seem to recall we have to open the kitchen windows more often when you are cooking."

Hallie smiled at the dark youth sitting beside her.  "Is that why Dan was in charge of the toast this morning, Mart?" 

Dan merely returned her grin and affected an innocent look. 

"I believe my point is made about refuge from the womenfolk," said Mart to Cap, nodding sagely.

Trixie sniffed.  "If you want to move out into the barn, that's fine with me. Honestly, Hallie, you are so lucky to have one pest out of the house."

"You'll miss Mart when he goes to college, Trix.  I know the house is a bit emptier when Jim is at school," said Honey, looking fondly at her brother.

Jim laughed.  "I don't know that there's anything to miss, Honey, when we are home practically every other weekend.   I was thinking though, Cap, that I may need your input when we design the rooms at my school." 

Ever since Jim inherited half a million dollars, he had been planning to run a year round school for boys, with lessons sandwiched between sports and outdoor activities.  Recently, with the help of his adopted father, he had purchased twenty acres to build on in addition to the property he had inherited.  Brian was to be the resident doctor, and Mart would probably teach there, too.

"Any school that teaches about our American wilderness between math lessons is definitely one that I want to contribute to," replied Cap.

Everyone paused to gaze out the large picture window that took up almost the whole front wall of the living room.  Flocks of brightly colored birds were hopping to and from the many feeders that filled the lower branches of the huge pine trees that surrounded a small garden area that was now covered with snow.

The long driveway wound its way down to a country road, which had seemed to cut its way through two mountains on the drive from the airport yesterday. Hallie's house sat near the base of the same mountain that her father's mining company was on. 

Trixie gazed at the peaceful scene before her, and was quite lost in thought when she realized that Knut was speaking to the group.

"If you all would be interested, downtown still has its 'Christmas path through the park' running.  It's a really neat display of lights winding its way through the town park."

"And there's hot cider and cocoa and popcorn sold at the big picnic pavilion at the end of the path," Hallie added.

"Say no more, lead on, fair cousin," said Mart, jumping up from his cushion.

"Not so fast, the displays don't open until sundown," said Cap.

Gloria leaned forward.  "I have an idea," she said shyly.  "I have to drop off a package at my father's company downtown.…"

Knut smiled at her.  "Yes, we could probably arrange a small tour of the warehouse." 

Facing the group, he said, "Gloria's father is the head of a small company that manufactures equipment and items that use alternative and natural resources.  They are part shipping, part scientific investigation."

"GreenCo, Inc. is working to minimize the destruction of nature by exploring new ways of energy production," added Gloria proudly.

"Like using the wind and the sun instead of coal and oil," interjected Cap.

"That sounds really great!" Trixie enthused.  "We'd love to go, wouldn't we?" she appealed to the group, and was met with a chorus of agreement.

"Ok, then." Knut looked at the clock.  "The bus leaves in ten minutes."

Everyone hurried to change into warmer clothing, looking forward to the evening's activities.

A few flakes of snow drifted past as the big blue van wound its way down the country road into town.  Trixie had squeezed into the middle seat between Jim and Honey.  In front of her were Brian, Hallie and Dan, and behind her, fighting for leg room, were Mart and Cap.

Trixie listened as Cap pointed out different interesting sights on the way. 

"If it wasn't the holiday season right now, we could show you the mining museum in Kellogg." interrupted Knut from the driver's seat.

"We could make a trip out to Burke or Gem," said Hallie, her dark eyes glowing at the thought.

Cap whooped from the back seat. "Wouldn't that be inviting trouble!"  he said, grinning at his younger cousin.

Trixie looked puzzled as she heard Knut echo his brother's laughter. 

Hallie turned around to grin at her.  "They're local ghost towns, leftovers from the gold rush."

Trixie and Honey looked at each other and leaned forward, all ears.

Mart covered his face while Jim and Brian gave each other a here-we-go look.

"Are any of the original buildings intact?" inquired Dan, also interested.

"Are any of them supposed to be haunted?" asked Trixie.

Hallie grinned her wide grin, and answered,  "Some buildings and some remains of the mine are left there.  I don't know of any ghost stories, but they sure are mysterious towns."

"And Hallie never gets tired of visiting one or the other.  I'm afraid they aren't too accessible in the winter," said Knut.

He pulled the van into a parking space outside of an old warehouse on the edge of the small town.  From where they parked, they could see the long, narrow village of Silvertown stretching out down the hill, nestled between two great mountains.  A fire trail wound its way up the opposite mountain, a white streak between two fields of snow-topped pine trees.

Trixie looked closely at what seemed to be moving figures on the strip of land. 

"What are people doing on the fire trail?" she asked. 

Knut grinned at her.  "In the winter, that is prime skiing and sledding area. There's a road that winds up the mountain, and people drive up with inner tubes and skis and all sorts of things to go down the hill.  Near the bottom, it's still steep enough to have some decent sledding runs."

"What's that other area over there?" Honey asked, pointing at a bare spot near the middle of the fire trail.

Gloria smiled.  "That's where my father is moving his business to."

"It was the site of an old strip mining operation," Knut explained.

Dan frowned.  "Aren't strip mines illegal?"

"They should be.  Anything that does so much damage to the environment...." growled Cap.

Trixie was confused.  "I don't understand.  I thought this was a mining town."

"Strip mining isn't the underground mining you're thinking of, Trix," said Jim.  "When people strip mine, they blast off the exterior surface to quickly get to the coal or mineral beneath.  Then they use a totally different method of extracting it."

"But they alter the environment in that area for a long time, and also change the surrounding ecosystems for miles," added Cap.

"I believe the Sierra Club has done much in the way of attempting to drive this practice into extinction," chimed in Mart, who usually had something to say on almost any subject imaginable.

"What is the Sierra Club?" asked Honey.

"It's an organization that was founded in 1892 in California, devoted to the preservation of parks, wildlife, and wilderness areas.  The club was instrumental in creating our current national park services."

Mart looked ready to continue.

"My brother, the human encyclopedia," Trixie said wryly. "It's a shame we couldn't leave him home on the shelf with the dictionary."  Secretly, Trixie was proud of Mart's ability to memorize all sorts of information.

"Why does your father want to set up a business there, Gloria?" asked Jim.

"Well," the pretty blonde replied, " with all the buildings on the site still in good shape, that's less building the company has to do, and it's a roomy and remote site which will be good for the scientists to work."

"I couldn't help over hear that last question."  A tall man with graying light brown hair and warm green eyes that resembled Gloria's strode over to the group.  As he kissed his daughter, Knut introduced the visitors from New York.

Shaking hands with each of them, he said, "I am sorry I missed you last time you were in Idaho.  To further answer your question, buying the old strip mine is sort of a chance to come full circle with the mountain." 

He led them inside the old building, talking as they went.  "Several of my ancestors worked at that mine which, as you can see, still creates quite an eyesore on the mountain.  To put our company on that site, doing the research and manufacturing we do, is a chance to sort of make amends with that immediate environment.  Now, if you wish to hang your coats in our lounge area, I'll be happy to show you around a bit."  Smiling at the group, he took his package from Gloria and stored it in a cluttered office that was near the lounge. 

Trixie immediately felt comfortable with Mr. Schmidt and looked curiously around the small lounge area for the employees as she struggled with her great scarlet wool coat.  She smiled her thanks to Jim as he helped her extract her left arm out of the heavy coat and hung it on one of the many hooks on the wall for her. 

The room was small with a tall ceiling and several old couches were grouped around a small coffee table in the middle.  Off to the side, near a small sink, was a coffee cart with an assortment of unusual mugs.  The wall opposite the coat racks consisted of paneling, Trixie assumed, but it was hard to tell because every square inch was covered with notes, or drawings, most with writing all over them from several different individuals.  A long table on the other wall, and a lot of the floor and coffetable space were covered with different gadgets and wires and all sorts of unusual items.

"It looks like a mad scientist's lair," Trixie whispered to Honey, who giggled and continued to stare wide-eyed around the room.

"If this just the lounge, I can't wait to see the laboratory," Honey whispered back.

"Ready to go?"  Mr. Schmidt beamed at them from his office door.  Showing a great pride in his work, he led them around the authorized sections of the small building, introducing them to the scientists and warehouse personnel as they went.

"Here is the gentleman in charge of our manufacturing and shipping end, Don Ruber, and his assistant, Mike Chaney." 

The men nodded to the group politely.

Don did not look happy and he pulled Gloria's father aside for a minute while the Bob-Whites looked at the inventory system and some of the ecological-friendly devices produced by the factory. 

Trixie watched the men converse soberly out of the corner of her eye.  She saw that Gloria was closely watching the conversation, too.  Noticing that Trixie was watching, Knut's fiancée leaned closer.

"Dad is having trouble with parts mysteriously disappearing from the warehouse. And now with half of our inventory here and half moved up to the old mine, it is harder to keep track of," she whispered to Trixie.  "Also, ever since we have moved things and keep workers up there, some odd things have been happening at the mine."

Trixie started to ask Gloria what kind of things were happening, but Mr. Schmidt was hurrying back to them, apologizing for the delay.  As they continued on the tour, Trixie noticed he looked a bit worried about something.

She mentioned it to Honey, but her friend didn't see any difference.  "Why do you think so, Trixie?" she asked.

Trixie told her what Gloria had mentioned and both girls made up their minds to ask Gloria to tell them more after the tour was through.

*   *   *

The group had said goodbye to Gloria's father and were getting into the van when Trixie noticed one of her gloves was missing.  Hallie volunteered to go back to the lounge with her to get it. As soon as they were out of earshot from the van, Hallie cornered her cousin.

"What do you think is going on, here, Trix?" she said. "I overheard what Gloria said to you about the missing parts."

Trixie grit her teeth.  "Some things never change, Hallie Belden! You're still butting into my business."

Hallie set her jaw. "Gloria's business is my business, you know.  She is marrying my brother.  That makes it more my business than yours."

"Not if it's the business of the Belden-Wheeler Detective agency!" Trixie snapped.

Suddenly, she laughed.

Hallie looked at her strangely.  "What's so funny?" she demanded.

Trixie grinned at her.

  "Us, " she said.

 Opening the door to the lounge, she shrugged at her cousin, unable to explain herself at the moment.

Trixie and Hallie went to work searching for the missing glove.

The group of men on the couches took no notice of the two girls looking around the coat area.  They were all raptly listening to a grubby factory worker who was sitting on one of the sofas nervously holding a mug of coffee.

"I tells ya, those tools just moved by themselves.  And then later, me and Jake heard the worst moanin' and rattlin' sounds."

"Any one of which can be explained by simple logic.  Normal things happening sometimes create unusual sounds," remarked one of the scientists, sipping skeptically from his mug.

Indignant, the man set his coffee firmly on the table.

"I haven't told you the thing that made me and Jake high tail it out of there.  When we went outside, there it was walking through the trees."  The grown man shivered.  "It had to be a ghost.  Now mind you, I never believed in the supernatural before, but when I seen it with my own eyes…!"  He shook his head.

Trixie and Hallie sat down and stared at the group.

Mike Chaney, who had been listening to the man, leaned forward.  "Was it an older man with a bushy beard, looking mean?" he asked. 

The worker nodded. "Yeah, just like that!  He looked like he was floating across the trees, almost transparent-like.  Then he turned his head and gave us a horrible mean look, then disappeared."

"I was afraid of this."  Mr. Chaney stood and shook his head.  "I told Mr. Schmidt when he picked that location." 

"What are you talking about, Mike?" asked one of the warehouse staff, clearly unnerved.

Mike Chaney paused a moment and then said, "There's a legend about that old strip mine. I never believed it myself until it hit close to home.  Long ago, when that mine was in operation, there was an old hermit lived in the woods near there. Some of the townsfolk said the man must be half wood-sprite, most believed he was an old fur-trapper fed up with modern society. Well, modern as it was back then." 

He paused again and rubbed his forehead.  "Well, story has it, that old Gunter, that was his name, was greatly disturbed by all the mess the strip mine was causing.  He would come into the miner's camp, cursing and complaining till the miners drove him out.  Pretty soon, some of their equipment and supplies turned up missing.  Then some things broke down, result of sabotage.  They found the old mountain man and accused him of causing all the trouble, but nothing could be lawfully done about it.  Finally, they woke early one morning to a horrible crashing and banging.  Trying to sabotage a large piece of equipment, the miner succeeded, but not without the heavy machinery falling on top of him, crushing him.  There was nothing the miners could do.  With his last breath, the old man forever cursed that piece of land, and anyone who trespassed upon it, vowing that his ghost would haunt it forevermore.  Soon after, the operation was shut down and it's been abandoned ever since."

The room was still, all eyes upon the assistant.  "Now, I never took much stock in the legend until one winter when my uncle decided to camp at the abandoned mine.  He came into the house shaking in his boots, mumbling about seeing an old man floating through the trees.  He had an accident at his job and died a week later." 

The room was silent for a moment, then the men started to murmur quietly to each other.  The spell broken, Trixie located her missing glove and both girls started for the door.

Wide-eyed, they looked at each other outside the building and tried to figure out the story they just heard.  

Knut was impatiently waving to them from the van, so they hurried towards it.

"What took you so long?  Did you have to knit a new glove?" Mart asked when they climbed inside.

Trixie ignored him and turned to Gloria.  "What kind of odd things have been happening at the mine?" she asked.

Gloria was confused for a moment at the blunt question, then remembered what Trixie was talking about.  "Odd little things, like missing tools, things disappearing then reappearing in unusual places." She frowned.

"Any unusual noises?" Trixie continued, mindless of the other Bob-White's stares.

"What are you going on about, Trixie?" asked Brian.

Trixie kept her gaze fixed on Gloria.

The pretty blonde in the front seat sighed.  "A few people have reported hearing some noises sounding like someone was moaning.  Dad thinks it may just be the old pipes in the building."

Hallie looked at Trixie. 

"Well some one seems to have just seen a ghost up there," she drawled.

Breathlessly, the two cousins told the group what they had just overheard in the factory.

"It never fails, leave Trixie alone long enough and she'll uproot a protoplasmic entity!" Mart said, leaning back in his seat.

Brian shook his head.  "Could the workers just have been telling tales to entertain you girls?"

Knut frowned as he negotiated the turn into the town's recreational area parking lot.

"Well," he said,"It's true the business has been having some strange things going on.  And there is an old legend about the mountain hermit.  But as far as believing his ghost is showing up at the mine…."

"Well, since Gloria's dad invited us up there tomorrow for a look-see, we'll know then if we can get old Gunter to show himself," said Hallie in her matter-of-fact way.

"If we only get a light dusting of snow," remarked Cap, looking at the big flakes softly falling around them.

Trixie looked up at the sky and hoped so.  Right now the goosebumps on her arm weren't from the evening chill.

The group started walking towards the entrance to the quaint park near the town's main square.  Twinkling lights framed the beginning of the path. The outdoor displays made by the local Jaycees grew larger each year. 

Two Christmas elves bade them welcome down the lane.  Totally enchanted, Trixie and Honey linked arms and reveled in the lovely displays on either side of the path and the softly twinkling lights overhead, strung from the branches of old fir trees.  One series of painted displays depicted Dickens's tale of Scrooge finding the meaning of Christmas.  Another illustrated the Night Before Christmas poem, and little vignettes of Christmas scenes were scattered throughout.  At the end of the path was the huge pavilion, strung with more lights and alive with music and dancing.  Dan whirled Hallie onto the floor, followed by Mart and Honey while Brian watched for a chance to cut in.

Trixie was still enchanted by a small scene near the end of the path entitled, 'Christmas in the Forest'.  A small pine tree was surrounded by painted wooden cutouts made to look like rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and other various forest creatures, all intent on decorating the small tree with real ornaments made from pinecones and acorns. A sleepy-looking wooden bear with a Santa hat on his head was "decorating" the tree with empty bees' nests.

Strung with popcorn and oranges filled with suet and birdseed, the display was attracting real-life creatures, cardinals and Blue Jays resting on the branches for a treat, and several times, oblivious to the noise, she saw a chipmunk run back and forth to the tree from his nest under the pavilion.

"I think this one's my favorite, too," said Jim quietly, coming to stand beside her.

Trixie looked out at the peaceful scene being enveloped in the quietly falling snow.  Too full of emotion to speak, she merely looked up at him and smiled.

He looked at her for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and crooked his head at the pavilion.

Laughing at the unspoken invitation to dance, she followed him inside and let him lead her onto the floor.  She noticed that Brian now had possession of Honey, and Mart, never one to be left out, was dancing with a lovely girl with short dark hair.  Knut and Gloria seemed to be in a world of their own.

Trixie was reminded of Jim's cousin Juliana and her fiancé, Hans, dancing on the porch at Crabapple Farm, also lost in each other.

Cap was the only one not dancing, as he was in a corner with a group of friends, drinking hot cider and swapping stories of adventures of different camping trips in the mountains that they loved so much. 

Laughing and dancing, the Bob-Whites enjoyed the evening until it was time to head home.

*   *   *

Trixie stretched her arms and shook the sleep from her head.  Across from her, Hallie was dressed and pulling on her socks.  Trixie could see the excitement she felt mirrored in her cousin's dark eyes. 

She tried to wake Honey, who mumbled something intelligible and rolled over. 

Hallie laughed. 

Trixie shrugged at her. "Honey does like to sleep in," she said, "I've been getting up too many mornings to feed the chickens, that sleeping late seems like a figment of my imagination."

"Who could sleep with you tossing and turning last night, or should I say early this morning?" replied Hallie.

Trixie made her bed and started to get dressed. 

"You would have been restless, too, with the dream I had."

She made a face and tried to run a comb through her tangled curls.

Hallie raised a thin eyebrow and waited.

Trixie sat down and pulled on her thick socks.  "Well, I dreamed I was walking in the woods and came across a clearing and the Bob-Whites were there dancing.  Then I was dancing too…."

"With Jim," interjected Hallie.

"With Jim," continued Trixie, with a slight blush.  "All of the sudden a strong wind came up and we were spinning around faster, and then suddenly I was dancing with the old miner, and he was yelling and telling me to get off his land.  Things spun around faster and faster and I felt like I couldn't breathe.  Then I woke up." 

She shivered.

Hallie frowned. "Ugh!" was all the comment she had to offer.

"Maybe it was a premonition."  Honey's sleepy voice rose from under her blankets.

Trixie chewed on her lip. "You mean like seeing the future?" she asked.

Honey sat up slowly and shrugged.

"Maybe it means we will run into that trouble-causing miner today," said Hallie, clearly liking the idea.

Trixie shivered.  "If we do, I'm certainly not dancing with him.  I would like to ask him a few questions, though."

Hallie strode towards the door.  "Then let's get crackin'.  I smell mushroom and pepper omelets, which means Maria is back from San Francisco!"

Honey waved them on, saying she would be down shortly.

Closing the door behind her, Hallie whispered to Trixie,  "And it also means no more cooking lessons for us!"

Trixie giggled.  

Long ago, their fathers had said that Trixie and Hallie were too much alike to ever get along.  Trixie was always quick to agree about the not getting along part.  Still, although they were worlds apart in looks and mannerisms, Trixie suspected that Hallie was having as much difficulty with the family get together as she was. 

"I just hope Moms doesn't feel like giving knitting lessons this afternoon," Trixie said darkly.

"I think you're safe, there, Trix.  Aunt Helen and my Mom are taking Bobby into town this afternoon, remember?"

"Still, I hope the incidents at the mine don't come up in conversation this morning, or we'll never get there."

"Another premonition?"  Hallie teased.

Trixie shook her head.  "Actually, I do have a feeling that something is going to happen up there today."

Hallie groaned and threw her hands over her head. 

"I thought you were a detective, not a mystic!" she declared.

Trixie grit her teeth.  "I am a detective, at least I'm going to be one, and anyway, detectives use their instincts!" she said.

Hallie arched an eyebrow.  "That's how detectives jump to conclusions.  Real detectives use facts."

Trixie was silent as she descended the stairs.  On the landing, she whirled to face her cousin. 

"Well, that may be true, but I know one thing, Hallie Belden! I trust my instinct.  And it is telling me that something weird is going on at that mine."

"I know that! You don't need instinct to tell that something is wrong when inventory goes poof!"

Brian and Jim coming down the stairs interrupted Trixie's reply.

Jim said nothing as he passed, but Brian paused and said, "Perhaps we shouldn't go visit the mine if everyone is going to be upset about it."

Both girls hastily shook their heads "no" and meekly followed him down the stairs to the dining room.

Some things just don't change, Trixie thought bitterly as she helped her cousin set the table in silence.

*   *   *

Trixie stared out the window of Knut's old Suburban, trying to shake her dark mood.  Jim was discussing the local scenery with Knut in front of her; Honey and Brian listening quietly.  Everyone else was in Mr. Schmidt's new Jeep which was plunging up the mountain road in front of them. 

I'm glad Hallie and Mart are in the other vehicle. 

Trixie sighed.  She was used to Mart's constant teasing, but this morning at breakfast he had gone too far.  She scowled again at the memory. 

If I have to look at another picture of me doing something stupid….

Trixie was convinced that her entire family was on a sadistic quest to embarrass her.

True, she had been an accident prone chubby child, but to display the fact in front of her friends!  And then this morning, she noticed her mother had an extra knitting bag with her.  Trixie had been the first one out the door. 

She didn't mind cooking, she reasoned.  Actually, once she got the hang of it, she rather enjoyed cooking for the family, and was beginning to get quite good at it.  And she did love being with her family…but she would like it better if they didn't roll their eyes every time she mentioned becoming a detective.   And Hallie acting like she knew more about it than Trixie did!

Trixie sighed.  Hallie always knew how to trigger Trixie's temper, either by accident or on purpose.

Hallie had declared to her after breakfast that knitting was a perfectly good thing, it kept her hands busy while she thought. And she had flung her red scarf that she had knit herself over her shoulder to emphasize the point.

Sensing Trixie's discomfort, Honey gave her arm a squeeze. 

Turning to her best friend, Trixie said under her breath,  "When we get home, I may move out into the barn.  I've had enough family to last me a lifetime!" Her blonde curls bounced violently as she nodded her head.

"Poor Trixie.  It's no fun being teased all the time," Honey said in a low voice.

"I'm used to that.  It's just that no-one will take my future seriously, except you." Woefully, she glanced at her best friend.  "And you don't even seem to be interested at all."

Honey knew that Trixie was feeling upset.  She merely smiled.  "Well, not first thing in the morning.  I can't wait to get there now, though," she said in a slightly louder voice.

"Wait no more!" announced Knut.  He pulled the vehicle next to the already parked jeep, and they got out. 

The fresh snow crunched under their boots as they walked over to the main building.  Trixie looked around the desolate area.  A few buildings were scattered about, many with new construction being done to them.  The bare rock wall that had been stripped away decades ago made a bleak backdrop to the scene.  Every thing was quiet, except for the tinkling of the small creek bouncing off rocks and tumbling under the small bridge they had just crossed.

Trixie shivered and moved closer to Honey.  "This looks like what I'd imagine a ghost town to be." 

Honey nodded her agreement.  Looking past the last building, Trixie could see the glaring white of the fire lane, but under the trees it was dark and gloomy.

"That's strange," Gloria's father was saying.  "I thought several groups would be up here today." 

Trixie looked around, but it was Hallie who beat her to the punch.

"No cars up here," she said flatly.  " And no tire tracks."

Puzzled, the group entered the first building, their hellos making eerie echoing sounds as they reverberated off the walls.

Mr. Schmidt motioned the group to look around the site while he started to make calls on a radio type device.  Dan asked about it when the group stood outside the large building. 

"It's kind of like the radios the rangers keep in their towers," answered Knut.  "If Cap were here, I'm sure he could go on about it. "

 Cap had promised their Uncle Andrew a tour of the local ranger facilities, resulting in all the elder male Beldens making a trip to the local home base, not far away.

"I'm sure birdbrain is in a deep explanation about something right now," Hallie drawled.

 She looked around at the buildings.  

"Shall we explore?" she asked.

Knut and Gloria suggested the temporary lodging site, which housed the dining hall.  Mart, hearing the word dining, decided that would be an ideal place to start.  Brian chuckled and followed along.

Hallie looked at the small warehouse by the road. "Since there seems to be an inventory problem, why not check the inventory?" she asked.

"Makes sense to me," said Jim.

  He and Dan started to follow her. 

"Coming Trix?" asked Honey, when her friend showed no signs of movement.

Trixie shook her head.  "I want to check out that run-down building over by the fire trail."  She pointed to a very decrepit building in the distance.

Jim turned around and looked at it dubiously.  "Just be careful," he said. "If you see any trouble...."

"Signal for help," Honey finished for him. "We know." 

Jim had taught the girls the call of the bob-white to signal each other when they first met.  Everyone in the club knew how to imitate the quail's call, and several times the " bob, bob-white" had been used to warn each other of danger.

Trixie and Honey walked towards the abandoned building.

"What made you want to check this building out, Trix?  asked Honey.  "Was it because it is the farthest point from Hallie?"

Trixie tried to muster a smile, but failed.  "No, just a feeling I had," she said.

"That's good enough reason for me," said Honey.

Trixie stopped to give her friend a hug. 

"Thank you, Honey," she said. "I'm sorry I've been such a bear." 

Together they walked along what seemed to be a path through the dense trees.

Honey shivered.  "If this is what it's like in daytime, I don't want to think of what it's like here at night."  She jumped as a bird suddenly flew off a branch, causing snow and pine needles to fall.

Up ahead, the old building loomed before them, dilapidated and with a portion of the roof caved in.

"I want to take a look down the fire trail first," Trixie said, walking past the eerie building and into the sunlight. 

Both girls stood and blinked as they adjusted their eyesight to the glare from the freshly fallen snow.  At the bottom of the steep slope, the town rested, nestled securely between the two mountains.  Trixie could see figures that looked like tiny insects sledding on the fresh snow at the bottom of the long hill.

Honey peered out beside her. 

"Do you remember your first time skiing downhill?" she asked.

Trixie grinned.  "Boy, do I ever!  The bunny slope looked just as steep, if not steeper."

Both girls turned to look up the mountain.   Through the sparse trees near the top, Trixie could just make out what could be a building.  A quick flash of light caught her eye.

"Did you see that?" she asked her friend. 

Honey shrugged.  "Maybe someone has a cabin up there.  Cap did say there was a road on either side of the trail that went to the top of the mountain. Probably a wonderful view, but it would be an awful long drive into town, I'm afraid."

They turned and headed back to the old building, ready to look inside.

The front door was unlocked and they cautiously stepped inside.  They pulled their flashlights from their pockets and explored the narrow, dusty rooms, heaped with old mining equipment.

Honey shone her light on one particularly large piece of machinery, turning quickly from it as both girls remembered the old hermit's fate.

Trixie tried the door to the upper level, but found it locked. 

"I guess no one is here," she said.

A faint noise made them both turn towards the back of the building.

Honey turned white and grasped Trixie's arm tightly.  "Did you hear that?" she whispered. 

A moan from behind the large door in the back answered her.

The floor boards creaked loudly under Trixie's boots as she moved to unlatch the huge doors.

A small crash made her hesitate with one hand paused in front of the old- fashioned handle. The floor seemed to move slightly.

"Maybe the room is falling apart," Honey whispered shakily.

"Maybe someone is trapped inside," Trixie answered, turning the handle, starting slightly when Honey grabbed her by the wrist.

"Maybe it's the ghost of old Gunter waiting for us!" Honey gasped.

Trixie took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

The back area was a large warehouse-type room, with ropes hanging from giant pulleys attached to the ceiling beams and tied neatly in a row on one side of the room.  What looked like some kind of chute leading to who-knows-where stuck out of the wall on the other side of the room. Several feet from the door, a large portion of the floor had fallen in, boards and debris scattering, revealing a dark pit below. 

"The room is falling in--we should get out of here!" Honey cried, turning to leave. 

Another moan, this time louder, stopped them in their tracks.

"Look over there!" Trixie pointed to the other side of the building. 

A workman lay on what was left of the floor on the other side of the pit from them.  He was a large man, his face was contorted in pain and fear as he tried to move. And every time he did, bits of debris fell into the pit.  Helplessly, he looked at the two girls.

"What can we do?" whispered Honey.  "The rest of that floor could give way at any moment."

Trixie looked up at the ropes.  "I've got an idea."

Honey shook her head as Trixie grabbed two ropes on a pulley, tying one to a sturdy post near the door and the other end around her waist.  Grabbing another set, she tied one end on another supporting post, and started towards the pit. 

Honey found her voice and stepped in her path. "You can't possibly be thinking of…."

Trixie set her jaw.  "We don't know how long that floor will hold.  This rope will catch me if that happens.  I can't just sit here."

"But Trixie...."  Honey stopped when she saw the determined glint in Trixie's eyes.

"Be careful," she said, and edged her way out the door. 

Trixie heard her frantically signal bob-white, bob, bob, white outside.  

Carefully picking her way across the floor, Trixie slowly began to edge her way over to the man, sticking closely to the edge of the room where the boards were a bit steadier.  The man had not moved since Honey left, but she did not dare look over at him.

She set her foot down on a loose board, quickly withdrawing it when it gave way and tumbled to the blackness below, making a queer echoing sound as it went.

Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.  I have to stay calm, she thought.  Just a few more feet....

Suddenly she was kneeling beside the man, her legs nearly giving out from the tension.

Groaning, he looked dazedly at her.  With shaking hands she took his pulse. It was weak and irregular, and she realized he was in shock. 

"Can you move?" she asked.

  He nodded weakly.

"My arm...it may be broken…hit my head…." he said.

He slowly sat up, causing a slight tremor in the floor.  Quickly she tied the spare rope around his waist; he winced in pain as she bumped his left arm.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Dazedly, he stood up with her help.  Bits of floor fell and trembled precariously below them. 

"I can't do this…." the man paused and looked down. 

Trixie nearly lost her resolve.  He's three times bigger than me.... How can I get him across?   Just then the sound of running feet and familiar voices bolstered her courage. "Yes, you can," she said firmly, looking him in the eye.  "Just stick near the edge." 

Cautiously, he began to inch his way across, Trixie guiding him gently by his right elbow.

Mr. Schmidt and the Bob-Whites followed Honey into the room.

"My God...." murmured Gloria's father. 

Quickly, the boys formed a chain as close to the edge of the floor as they could get. 

"Ok, sir, you're only a couple of feet away."

Trixie could hear Jim's steady voice reassuring the worker.

Suddenly the floor trembled again beneath their feet.  Panicking, the man flung himself at the boys.  Trixie gasped as the boards gave way beneath her feet, and she swung out into nothingness.  She heard Honey scream, then felt Dan's strong arm grasping hers, pulling her to safety.  Mart moved forward and grabbed her by the waist, enveloping her into a bear hug. Quickly, they hurried to the front of the building; Trixie limp with relief.

Outside, Knut had pulled the Schmidt Jeep to the front door.  Brian was bent over the first aid kit intent on tending to the injured man.  Hallie and Gloria were running to the main office to radio the local hospital.  Jim had lit a small sterno stove, and Honey was busy making some warm broth.

Mart broke the silence.  "It's a good thing Dan has such a fast arm," he said. 

Trixie smiled at the dark youth and squeezed his hand, which hadn't let go of hers yet.

"Well, I guess it makes up for dropping that fly ball in the championship game last spring," Dan said self-consciously. 

Brian came over and hugged his sister. "I guess she's the catch of the day," he said lightly, but his dark eyes were still filled with concern.

Mart laughed dryly.  "If you like a net full of trouble."

Jim walked over with a hot mug of broth. "How are you feeling, Trixie?" he asked quietly.

Hallie and Gloria came running back with the news from the hospital, and Brian, Dan and Mart went to meet them and make hasty plans for getting the injured man off the mountain, leaving Jim and Trixie alone for a moment.

"I felt great once I heard your voice urging that man on, Jim." She sipped at the broth.  "Now that it's over.…" she paused and looked into his serious face.

"Well, I can't tell you how I felt coming into the room and seeing the predicament you were in."

"But Jim...."

"Did you stop to think, Trixie?  Why didn't you wait for the rest of us?"

"I had to do something then!   You saw the floor!"

"Yes, I did!"  Abruptly, he stood up and walked away.

Trixie looked down at her cup of broth.  Jim's temper was not unlike her own, quick to flare up, but just as quick to cool down.  She knew that it was only his concern for her that made him act that way.  Hastily, she shook away the tears that had pooled in her eyes.  

Honey and Hallie stood next to her as they watched the boys load the injured man into the Jeep.  Gloria's father started the vehicle as Brian, Knut, Jim and Mart piled inside.  All would be needed to move the man when they got to the hospital.

Knut gave Dan the keys to the Suburban and a quick thumbs-up.  "See you back at home," he said. 

Hallie, Trixie, Honey and Gloria watched them go.  Slowly, the group followed the tire tracks back to the main building. 

Hallie walked in silence next to Trixie for a while.  "Feeling alright?" she asked. 

Trixie nodded. 

"Well, " the tall dark-haired girl said, "after you've rested a bit at home, I've got some interesting information for you."

Trixie raised her eyebrows at her cousin.

"Let's talk about all that later, Hallie," Gloria said, obviously upset by the whole morning.

A sharp bang followed by an eerie moaning sound made them whirl around quickly. Honey screamed and Gloria looked ready to faint.  Trixie couldn't believe her eyes.  Floating through the thick pine trees, was the ghost of the old miner!

The group watched, spellbound, as the bearded figure seemed to walk across the trees.  It suddenly stopped and turned to look at them with a fierce scowl.

Unable to move, Trixie stared in amazement as it slowly faded from sight. Trixie looked at her cousin, who had turned several shades paler than her usual tan.  No one needed to be told what to do next.  They all began to run at top speed to the Suburban, piling in as Dan started the ignition.  Trixie could feel her heart pounding in her chest as they crossed the small bridge on the road down the mountain, not feeling completely safe until they started up the foot of the Belden driveway.

After a somber lunch of soup and sandwiches, the family gathered in the living room to discuss the events of the day, all except Bobby who, after a full morning of "bein' a real live forest ranger", fell asleep at the table and was now napping in his room.

Trixie's adventures had been disclosed to the elder Beldens before lunch, and she was now sitting quietly near the fireplace, having had her fill of discussion on taking risks and dangerous situations and why she should leave things like that to the boys.   Afterwards, her father and uncles did let her know they were proud of her courage in rescuing the injured worker.

The rest of the group arrived just as they were serving lunch and little was said about the morning, as the hungry and tired party concentrated on the hot meal.

Trixie squirmed with impatience as she waited for everyone to sit down.

Finally, everyone was gathered.  Harold Belden was the first to speak, asking Gloria's father about the injured worker. "His name is Ed Samson, I believe you know him, Harold."

Hallie's father nodded his recognition of the man. 

"Well, according to the doctor, he's got a broken wrist, mild concussion, scrapes and bruises, suffering from mild shock, which is amazing because apparently he had spent most of the early morning hours trapped in the building." 

A murmur of amazement and pity went around the room.

Mr. Schmidt rubbed his forehead wearily. "This whole thing has the warehouse people scared to death to go up there anymore.  If this keeps up, we may lose the business."

Gloria gasped and moved closer to her father.

"Why don't you start from the beginning, Burt," said Harold Belden.

"Well, when I told the crew my intentions of buying the building, several of them mentioned the tale of the old hermit and the mine.  I knew it, of course, but none of us took it as anything serious.  We bought the property, and started moving our inventory up to the mine.  I figured it would make more room, and the shipping is actually easier from the road up there.

"Also," he continued in a sheepish voice,  "we had been having a small bit of parts being stolen from the warehouse.  The old building here in town isn't very secure, and anyone could go in and out.  So, we moved some of our more valuable items and parts up the trail."   He paused to sip his coffee.  "That solved some of our problem, until the crew at the mine started to hear strange noises, and things would move around.  Like a piece of equipment would end up at the other side of the camp.  Then some of the men came into the office claiming to have seen the ghost of the hermit.   You can imagine the talk all around the building now.  When I called to the main office, Don told me that late last night several of the men, Jake, Mike, Earl and some others, were up there working late with the inventory when they heard moaning and clanking noises and saw some old mining tools floating across the room.  The men got nervous, and ran out of the building.  Then, according to Don, they saw the ghost walking in the trees.  Ed tried to reason with the men, but most of them were too scared to listen.  They got into their trucks and took off.  Ed stayed behind. "

Brian leaned forward.  "Mr. Samson was half delirious when we took him to the hospital.  We can only guess what happened after the other men left."

Gloria's father sighed.  "Doc says that Ed will be alright, but he probably won't be rested enough to tell us his story until tomorrow.  In the meantime, how will I keep the business running if everyone is too scared to work at the mine?" Dejectedly, he drained his coffee mug.

Andrew Belden frowned.  "Do you have any competitors that would want to see you fail?" he asked.

Burt Schmidt gave a wry chuckle.  "I wish I did.  This business could use some more entrepreneurs.  No, I'm afraid we're the only ones around here in the environmental research and manufacturing business."

"Could someone want the mine to use it, I mean, is it still worth something?" Trixie asked.

Harold Belden smiled at his niece.  "I'm afraid not.  Contrary to the legend, the simple truth is that it was a shallow vein and that's why the mining operation failed.  It seems to me that this whole ghost business is some sort of nonsense." 

Peter Belden nodded his agreement.

"But we saw it," said Gloria in a small voice.

"Wha-at?" said Knut and the group looked at Dan and the girls.

Honey shivered while Dan explained the incident.

"It was just like the sightings that everyone else had," he finished.

Cap had been standing against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

"It sounds to me like someone's been playing some practical jokes," he said skeptically.

"You would know all about that...." muttered Hallie under her breath.

Trixie chewed her lip silently, considering her cousin.  Cap wasn't with them at the camp.

Don't be silly,  she told herself. You aren't going to make a good detective jumping to conclusions like that.

"I agree with Cap."  Trixie startled herself as well as everyone else when she spoke.  She tried to explain as all eyes turned to her. 

"I-I just think someone is playing pranks to sabotage GreenCo," she said lamely.

To her surprise, her brothers nodded. 

"Perhaps someone should be on hand to ensnare the counterfeit specter in the midst of his questionable tomfoolery, "suggested Mart.

Hallie snorted.  "Can we have that in real English, please?"

Trixie looked at her.  "We could go catch the practical joker red-handed."

"Now wait just a minute...." her father protested.

Trixie rushed on. "We could set up a camp at the edge of fire trail, near the mining buildings, but far enough away to just be casual winter campers.  Then we could keep watch at night…."

"And some of us could keep watch over by the office...." interrupted Hallie, catching the enthusiasm of the idea.

Knut and Brian looked at each other. "We could do it, sir," said Knut to his future father-in-law.

"I don't know," said Eleanor Belden, looking over at Trixie's mother.

Helen Belden stood up. "I think that everyone has had a very busy morning and we should discuss all of this after dinner." 

With that, the group dispersed, the boys heading over to Cap's space in the barn and the adults gathering around the large dining room table, clearly wishing to discuss the matter without them.  Bobby woke up then, and Knut and Gloria volunteered to play games with him in the den.  Reluctantly, Trixie and Honey spent the afternoon helping Hallie with the dusting and other chores.

The evening discussion ended up with permission given to the boys, with Uncle Andrew as chaperone, to set up camp near the old mine.  Trixie and Hallie pleaded to go along, but were firmly told otherwise.  Unable to silently watch as equipment was checked out and lists of supplies were being made, they returned to Hallie's room.

Trixie angrily punched her pillow as they sat down on their beds.

 Even Honey was upset.  "You would think after all we have been through before…." she began, then sank into silence.

"It's not fair." Hallie's dark eyes flashed angrily.  "Especially since Dan and Jim know what I found in the warehouse today."

Trixie turned to her. "You found a clue and didn't tell me?" she demanded.

Honey made a placating motion with her hands.  "When did she have time?" she told Trixie. To Hallie, she asked, "What did you find?"

Hallie pulled some items from her jeans pockets.  A button, a bit of fishing line, and a curious bit of wire and metal.

Trixie picked up the unusual looking device.  "What do you suppose this is?" she asked, and handed it to Honey. 

"While you were practicing your daredevil act, I found these in the upper level of the building.  This, " Hallie said, holding up the bit of fishing line, " was attached to an old pick and shovel which were heaped under an old tarp."

She nodded as Trixie and Honey understood the meaning behind the find.  "And this, " she continued, pointing at the object Honey was holding, "was stuck in a crack in the floorboards near there."

"What about this?" asked Trixie, holding up the button.

Hallie moved closer. "That's the most significant find of all," she whispered mysteriously.

Trixie and Honey watched her closely, waiting for her to continue.

Hallie's face broke into a wide grin.  "It popped off my coat when I retrieved the fishing line!" she gurgled.

Honey giggled as Trixie threatened her cousin with a pillow, then threw back her head and laughed at being caught by the younger girl.

When they calmed down, Trixie picked up the wire again.  "Well, this supports our theory that the haunting is by human hands," she said.

"Were there any other thingamajigs like this around?" asked Honey.

"Nope," said the Idaho girl. "That's what made it so interesting to me." She looked shyly at her blonde cousin.  "Seriously, though, Trix, what you did this morning was really brave."

Trixie blushed at her cousin's rare praise.

"I don't know how she does it, Hallie," added Honey loyally.  "Somehow we always end up in these situations.  I feel ready to faint, but she's always so calm and fearless."

"My knees were knocking together plenty," Trixie mumbled, always uncomfortable with praise from others.

"Dan was telling me about the time you went over a cliff to rescue Jim's cousin Juliana," Hallie said.

"We only knew her as Janie, then," said Honey, shivering.  "That was a nerve-wracking experience--waiting for Trixie to come back up the cliff safely."

"Did Dan tell you how he helped rescue Bobby from a wildcat's den?"  asked Trixie, eager to get the spotlight off of herself.

Hallie shook her head no and listened intently as Trixie and Honey related the story.

"Dan's been there to rescue us plenty of times since," Trixie finished. "All the Bob-Whites have."

"Dan's an ok kid," said Hallie. "Better than Capelton Belden, anyway," she added darkly.

"After Dan told Hallie about your adventure on the cliff, Cap told a funny story about Hallie getting tangled up in a bunch of ropes at the barn, trying to swing from the rafters,"  Honey told Trixie.

"It wasn't funny.  It was embarrassing.  Especially in front of, you know, company." Hallie frowned.

Trixie smiled at her.  "I know exactly how you feel," she said.

Honey looked at the clock.  "Well, if we want to go into town tomorrow, we'd better get some sleep," she suggested.  "I hope you don't have any more bad dreams, Trixie."

"After today, if any of us don't, it will be a miracle," declared Hallie.

Despite the dire prediction, all three girls soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

continued