Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-04-14

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 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 COM
munity institution among the children.
"Who gives it to you. Alan" was a
question more often asked as time
went on. The only answer Alan could
give was, "It comes from CAlcago"
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 reason as inexplicable
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 went to work In the wooden mill
beside the river.
Papa and mama, at first surprised
and dismayed by the stopping Of the
letters, still clung to the hope Of the
familiar, typewriter-addressed en-
velope appearing again; but when,
after two years, no more money came,
resentment which had been 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
it. In response 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 boy Of three, who was
In good health and came Of good
people. He paid in advance board for
a year and agreed to send a certain
amount every two months after that
time. The man brought the boy;
whom he called Alan Conrad, and left
him. For seven years the money
agreed upon came; now 1t had ceased,
and papa had no way Of finding the
man-the name given by him appeared
to be fictitious, and he had left no
address except general delivery, Chi
cago"-Papa knew nothing more than
that. He had advertised in the Chi
cago papers after the money stopped
coming, and he had communicated
with every one named Conrad In or
near Chicago, but he had learned moth
ing. Thus, at the age of thirteen,
Alan definitely knew that what he
oil hoI n %hA 20 l.
belonged somewhere else than in the
little brown hOuSe-waS all that any
one there could tell him; and the
knowledge gave persistence to many
internal questionings. Where did he
belong? Who was he? Who was the
man who had brought him there? Had
the money ceased coming because the
person who sent 1t was dead? In
that case, connection of Alan with the
place where he belonged was per-
manently broken. Or would some other
communication from that source reach
him some time-if not money, then
something else? Would he be sent for
some day?
Externally, Alan's learning the little
that was known about himself made
no change In his way of living; he
went to the town school, which COM
bined grammar and high schools
under one roof and, as he grew older,
he clerked in one of the town stores
during vacations and In the evenings.
Alan always carried his money home
as part payment Of those arrears which
had mounted up against him since the
letters ceased coming. At seventeen,
having finished high school, he was
officially in MerrilPs general
store, when the next letter came.
It was addressed this time not to
papa, but to Alan Conrad. He seized
1t. tore 1t open, and bank draft for
fifteen hundred dollars fell out. There
was no letter with the enclosure, no
word Of communication; just the draft
to the order Of Alan Conrad. Alan
wrote the Chicago bank by which the
draft had been issued; their reply
showed that the draft had been pur-
chased with currency, SO there was no
record Of the identity Of the person
who had sent 1t. More than that
amount was due for arrears for the