Sioux County pioneer., 1922-04-27
CHAPTER II,
Who Is Alan conradY :

&. CHAPTER u
{. = .
Who 10 Alan conrad7
The recipient Of the letter which
Benjamin Corvet had written and
dater so excitedly attempted to re-
cover, was asking himself question
which was almost the same as the
question which Constance Sheriff. had
asked. He was, the second morning
later, waiting for the first Of the two
dnily eastbound trains which stopped
at the little Kansas town Of Blue
Rapids which he called home. AS,
long as he could look back into his life,
the question, who is this person they
call Alan Conrad, and what am to
the man who writes from Chicago, had
been the paramount enigma Of exist
ence for him. Since he was now
twenty-three, as nearly as he had been
able to approximate 1t, and as distinct
recollection Of, isolated, extraordinary
events went back to the time when he
was five, It was quite eighteen years
since he had first noticed the. question
put to the people who had him in
charge: $50 this is little Alan Con-
rad. Who is hep
Following the arrival Of certain
letters which were distinguished from
most others arriving at the house by
having no ink writing on the envelope
but just q sort Of purple or black
printing like newspapers, Alan in
variably received dollar to spend
just as he liked. To be sure, unless
''papa" took him to town, there was
nothing for him to spend 1t upon; SO,
likely enough, it went into the. square
iron bank, Of which the key was lost !;
but quite often he did spend 1t ac-
cording to plans agreed upon among
all his friends and, In memory Of these
occasions and in anticipation Of the
next, "Alan's dollar" became q COM
munity institution among the children.
"Who gives It to you, Alan7" was
question more often asked, as time
vent on. The only answer Alan could
give was, 1T comes from C.lcago."
The post-mark on the envelope, Alan
noticed, was always Chicago; that
was all he ever could find out about
his dollar. He was about ten years
old when, for q reason as inexplicable
as the dollars coming, the letters with
the typewriter addresses and the en-
closed money ceased. n.
Except for the loss Of the dollar at
the end Of every second month-a loss
much discussed by all the children
and not accepted as permanent till
more than two years had passed
Alan felt no immediate results from
the cessation Of the letters from
Chicago. Papa and mama felt them
when the farm had to be given up, and
the family moved to the town, and
papa went to work In the wooden mill
beside the river.
Papa and mama, at first surprised
and dismayed BY the stopping Of the
letters. stiIl chung to the hope Of the
familiar, typewriter-addressed /, en-
yelope appearing again; but when,,
after two years, no more money came,
RESENTMENT which had been steadily
ssowing against the person who had
sent the money began TO turn against;
Alan; and his PARENTS, told him. All
they knew about him. A. a.
In 1895 they had noticed an adver-
tisement for persons to care for e.
child; they had answered It To- the
office Of the newspaper which printed
s1t. In response to the letter man
called upon them and, after seeing
them and going around to zee their;
friends. had made arrangementA with
them 70 take a boy Of three, who was
IN good health and came ot good;
people. He paid Ia advance board for
q year and agreed Ito send a certain
amount every two months after that
time. The man brought the boys
whom he called Alan Conrad, ana left
him. For seven years the money
agreed upon came now II had ceased,
and papa had no way OF finding the
man the name given ~ him appeared
70; be fictitious. ma hss had left no
address except general delivery. Chi
Gag Papa knew nothing more than
that. He had advertised III the Chi
rago papers after the money stopped;
coming, and he had communicated
with every one named Conrad Ia ~
near Chicago. but he had learned moths
,lng. Thus, at the age Of sthirteen,s
Alan deinitely knew 4 that what he
lAlrs4d ~ had guessed the fact that he
Ssamged somewhere else than n the
illtttl brown lhS1l gas8 ali that my
- thers could tell Him Il and the