NMAC BTWN AN ARR MD88 AND A CLBING NORAC CESSNA WITHIN THE CLASS C OF ABE; PA.

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WHILE DSNDING FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 6 IN ABE; WE GOT A TCASII ALERT FOR AN ACFT BELOW US. WE SAW THE ALERTED TARGET ON TCASII ABOUT 500-600 FT BELOW US. WE WEREN'T SURE WHICH WAY HE WAS HEADED AND LOOKED FOR HIM VISUALLY. WE WERE ON COURSE AND ON GS ABOUT 5 MI OUT ON RWY 6 AT ABE. SHORTLY AFTER THE INITIAL ALERT; WE GOT A TCASII COMMAND TO CLB. THE FO ADDED PWR AND CLBED AT THE COMMANDED 2000 FPM RATE. DURING THIS MANEUVER; I OBSERVED OUR TARGET WAS 300 FT BELOW US AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. WE NEVER ACTUALLY SAW THE AIRPLANE. AFTER INFORMING THE TWR OF OUR ACTIONS WE WERE VECTORED AROUND FOR AN UNEVENTFUL VISUAL APCH. THIS TCASII EVENT TOOK PLACE JUST AFTER WE HAD CHKED IN WITH ABE TWR. WE WERE NEVER ADVISED BY EITHER APCH CTL OR THE TWR OF ANY TFC TO LOOK FOR. AT THE GATE I TALKED BY PHONE TO THE TWR SUPVR. HE HAD ALREADY TALKED TO THE LIGHT AIRPLANE PLT (SMALL CESSNA HE THOUGHT); WHO HAD JUST DEPARTED FROM QUEEN CITY MUNI ARPT; WHICH IS 4-5 MI OUT OF ABE; JUST R OF THE RWY 6 FINAL FOR ABE. THE TWR SUPVR SAID THE PLT TURNED THE WRONG WAY AFTER DEPARTING QUEEN CITY. HE ALSO SAID THIS WAS A RECURRING PROB BECAUSE THAT ARPT IS SO CLOSE TO THE RWY 6 FINAL. EVEN THOUGH WE NEVER SAW THIS LITTLE AIRPLANE VISUALLY; THE FO AND I BOTH BELIEVE THAT IF WE HAD NOT HAD TCASII WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE HAD A MIDAIR COLLISION.