The St. Charles herald., 1922-05-20
CHAPTER u
Who ls Alan Conrad7

Who Is Alan conrad7
The recipient of the letter which
BENJAMIN Corvet had written and
later so excitedly attempted to re-
cover, was asking himself q 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
long as he could look back into his life,
the question, who is this person they
call Alan Conrad, and what am l to
the man who writes from Chicago. had
been the paramount enigma Of exist
ence for him. Since he was no"
twenty-three, as nearly as he had been
able to approximate II, and as distinct
recollection Of isolated, extraordinary
events went back to the time when ne
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 her
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 a sort Of purple or black
printing like newspapers, Alan In
variably received a dollar to spend
lust as he liked. To be sure, unless
spapa" 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 a com.
munity institution among the children
"Who gives 1t to you, Alan?" was
question more often asked, as time
went on. The only answer Alan could
give was, ut comes from CA.lcago.'
The post-mark on the envelope, Alar
noticed, was always Chicago; thai
was all he ever could find out about
his dollar. He was about ten years
old when, for a reason as inexplicablt
as the dollars coming, the letters witt
the typewriter addresses and the en-
closed money ceased.
Except for the loss Of the dollar a
the end Of every second month-a los!
much discussed by all the children
and not accepted as permanent til
more than two years had passed
Alan felt no immediate results from
the cessation of the letters from
Chicago. Papa and mama felt then
when the farm had to be given up, ant
the family moved to the town. ant
mana went to work In the wOolen mil
beside the river.
Papa and mama, at first surprises
and dismayed by the stopping of tn
letters, still clung to the hope OF tn
familiar, typewriter-addressed en-
velope appearing again; but wher
after two years, no more money came
resentment which had been steadil
growing against the person who ha
sent the money began to turn agains
Alan; and his parents" told him q
they knew about him.
In 1895 they had noticed an advel
tisement for persons to care for
child: they had answered 1t to tn
Office Of the newspaper which printe
It. In response to the letter a ma
called upon them and, after seein
them and going around to see the
friends, had made arrangements wit
them to take a boy Of three, who We
In good health and came OF goo
people. He paid In advance board Il
q year and agreed to send certal
amount every two months after th'
time. The man brought the bo,
whom he called Alan Conrad, and lie
him. For seven years the mont
agreed upon came; now It had cease
and papa had no way Of finding Il
man-the name given by him appears
10 be fictitious, and he had left
address except general delivery, On
cago"-Papa knew nothing more ths
that, He had advertised In the Cf
cago papers after the money stoppt
coming, and he had communicate
with every one named Conrad In
near Chicago, but he had learned not
Ing. Thus. at the age of thirtee
Alan definitely knew that what
already had guessed-the fact that
belonged somewhere else than In T
little brown house-was all that al
one there could tell him; and &
knowledge gave persistence to maj
internal ouestionings. Where did