Ghost Stories

In the moonlight Frank and Joe could see a tall figure standing between the cornstalks.

The man wore a tall stovepipe hat, and a tattered black coat and pants. His black eyes glared at the boys over a long, curved nose, and his face was ghastly white. His mouth was twisted in a cruel grin. His long arms were extended, and the fingers were curved like the talons of a bird of prey.

“It's a scarecrow!” Frank exploded. “We've been talking to a scarecrow!”

The boys started to walk away when they heard an eerie warning.

“Beware! Leave this place and flee for your lives!”

The Hardys stood rooted to the spot. Frank's hair rose on the back of his neck. Joe felt goosebumps. The scarecrow had just spoken to them!

The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories

#109 The Prime-Time Crime

#110 The Secret of Sigma Seven

#139 The Search for the Snow Leopard

#140 Slam Dunk Sabotage

#141 The Desert Thieves

#143 The Giant Rat of Sumatra

#152 Danger in the Extreme

#153 Eye on Crime

#154 The Caribbean Cruise Caper

#156 A Will to Survive

#159 Daredevils

#160 A Game Called Chaos

#161 Training for Trouble

#162 The End of the Trail

#163 The Spy That Never Lies

#164 Skin & Bones

#165 Crime in the Cards

#166 Past and Present Danger

#167 Trouble Times Two

#168 The Castle Conundrum

#169 Ghost of a Chance

#170 Kickoff to Danger

#171 The Test Case

#172 Trouble in Warp Space

The Hardy Boys Ghost Stories

Available from MINSTREL Books
and
ALADDIN Paperbacks

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First Aladdin Paperbacks edition May 2002

First Minstrel edition July 1987

First Wanderer Books Edition 1984

Copyright © 1984 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

ALADDIN PAPERBACKS
An imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Printed in the U.S.A.

23 22 21 20

THE HARDY BOYS and THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-0-671-69133-2
ISBN-10: 0-671-69133-3
eISBN: 978-0-743-43711-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 83-16953

 
CONTENTS
 

The Walking Scarecrow

The Mystery of the Voodoo Gold

The Disappearance of Flaming Rock

The Phantom Ship

The Haunted Castle

The Mystery of Room 12

 
FOREWORD
 

Dear Fans,

Frank and Joe Hardy are well known as excellent detectives. They have used their sharp sleuthing skills to solve many difficult and baffling cases.

In this book of ghost stories I have presented the Hardys with a new challenge—the supernatural! Ordinarily our young sleuths would never believe in ghosts, but the eerie happenings in these tales keep them guessing.

I have a hunch my stories will keep you guessing, too. But beware, you just might begin to believe in ghosts yourself!

Franklin W. Dixon

 
THE WALKING SCARECROW
 

“Joe, there's something wrong with the engine!” Eighteen-year-old Frank Hardy sounded exasperated. He and his younger brother were driving home after a day of backpacking in Bayport Hills. They were still out in the countryside and night was falling. All they could see under a rising full moon were tall cornstalks on either side of the bumpy dirt road.

Frank stepped on the gas, but the engine refused to respond.

Joe shook his blond head. “We sure don't need a breakdown here. We're a zillion miles from nowhere!”

But the motor gave a last
ping-ping-ping
and then stopped altogether. Frank used their momentum to guide the sports sedan into a ditch by the side of the
road. With the help of a flashlight, the boys worked over the engine for some time, but to no avail.

“It's no use. We'll need a tow,” Frank said at last. “But where do we get one out here in the boondocks?”

Joe looked around. “I think we're in luck, Frank. That must be the farmer over there. Maybe he'll give us a tow or let us call the nearest garage.”

Joe pointed across the road, and in the moonlight Frank could see a tall figure standing between the cornstalks.

“Let's catch him before he goes home,” Joe urged.

Frank agreed. They crossed the road and tramped through rugged furrows where the ground had been plowed. Finally they arrived at the spot in the middle of the cornfield, where the farmer stood.

The moon was about to vanish behind a cloud, but they could still see enough to be startled.

The man wore a tall, stovepipe hat, tattered black coat and pants, and long shoes with upturned toes. His black eyes glared at the boys over a long, curved nose, and his face was ghastly white. His mouth was twisted in a cruel grin. His long arms were extended and the fingers were curved like the talons of a bird of prey.

Joe shuddered and Frank felt cold chills run down his spine. Both boys instinctively moved back between the corn.

Just then the moon disappeared. Darkness covered the field, and they strained their eyes to see the eerie figure. “This guy's a weirdo,” Joe mumbled. “I bet he lives in a haunted house!”

“He's the only person around,” Frank whispered. “He's got to help us!”