The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-05-04
CHAPTER u
Who is Alan Conrad2

"hO 10 NidU SOUTdOt
The recipient of the letter which
Benjamin Corvet had written and
later SO eXcitedly attempted to re-
cover, was asking himself a 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
daily eastbound trains which stopped
at the little Kansas town Of Blue
Rapids which he called home. AS
tong 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
b to approximate il, and as distinct
recollection of isolated. extraordinary
events went back to the time when he
was five, ii was quite eighteen years
since he had first noticed the question
put TO the people who had him in
charge: $50 his is little Alan Con-
rad. Who is heT" =
Following the arrival OF certain
letters, which were distinguished from
most others arriving ut the house by
having m ink writing OF the envelope
but just a sort of purple or black
printing like newspapers, Alan in
variably received a dollar to spend
Just as he liked. To be sure, unless
t'papa" took him to town, there was
nothing for him to spend il upon; so.
tikely enough. It went into the square
iron bank. of which the kew 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, "Aian's dollar" became a com
nunity institution among the children.
"Who gives it to you. AlanT' was a
question more often asked, as time
went on. The only answer Alan could
give vas, at from C~.-Icago."
The pOst-mark on the envelope, Alan
Boticed. was always Chicago; that
was all he ever could find out about
his dollar. He was about ten years
VIZ "iitil. WI iNh'Vh no IhNNliiN''iS
as the dollars coming, the letters with
the typewriter addresses and the en-
closed money ceased.
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 vent TO work In the wooden mill
beside the river.
Papa and mama, at first surprised
and dismayed by tie stopping of the
letters. still chung to the hope Of the
familiar, typewriter addressed en-
veiope appearing again: but when.
after two years. no more money came.
resentment which had heen steadily
growing against the person who had
sent the money began to turn against
Alan; and his parents told him all
they knew about him.
In 1896 they had noticed an adver-
tisement for persons to care for a
child; they had answered It To the
office OF the newspaper which printed
Il. In spoons to the letter a man
called upon them and, after seeing
them and going around to see their
friends. had made arrangements with
them TO take a boy Of three, who was
in good health and came of good
people. He paid I'm advance board for
a year and agreed to send a certain
amount every two months after that
time. TIE man brought the boy
whom he called Alan Conrad. and left
him. For seven years the money
agreed upon came; now II had ceased,
and papa had no way of finding the
nan-the name given by him appeared
10 be fictitious. and he had left no
address except general delivery. Chi
cugo--Papa knew nothing more than
that. He iistl advertised In the Chi
cngo papers after the money stopped
coming and he had communicated
with every one named Conrad In or
near Chicago. hut he had learned moth.
ing. Thus. at the age OF thirteen
Alan definitely knew that what he
already had guessed-the fact that he
belonged somewhere else Than In the
little brown honse--was all that any
n there could tell him: and the
knowledge gave persistence to many
internal questionlngs. Where did he
'M