Licking Valley courier., 1922-03-30

learns CorVet mas Wrltten W Celtoh
Alan Conrad. In Blue Rapids. Kansas,
and exhibited strange agitation over the
matter.
In 1895 they had noticed an adver-
tisement for persons to care for q
child; they had answered 1t to the
office of the newspaper which printed
1t. In response to the letter q 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. I. 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
already had guessed-the fact that he
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 questlonings. Where did he
belongi Who was hef Who was the
man who had brought him theref Had
the money ceased coming because the
person who sent II was deadf 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 elsei 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
hined 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
clerking officially In Merrill's general
store, when the next letter came.
It was addressed this time not to
papa, but to Alan Conrad. He seized
It, tore 1t open, and bank draft for
ifteen hundred dollars fell out. There
vas no letter with the enclosure, nc
word OF communication just the draft
to the order of Alan Conrad. Alar
wrote the Chicago bank by which the
iraft had been issued; their reply
showed that the draft had been pur
chased with currency, so there was NJ
record of the Identity of the persor
who had sent 1t. More than tha
amount was due for arrears for tn
seven years during which no none!
was sent, even when the total whicl
Alan had earned was deducted. -
Alan merely endorsed the draft owe
to father; and that fall jim. Alan
foster brother. went to college. But
when Jim discovered that 1t not onl
was possible but planned at the uni
yerslty for boy to york his wa
through, Alan went also.
Four wonderful years followed. II
cOmpaniOnshlp with educated people
Ideas and manners came to him whic
he could not have acquired at home
athletics Strengthened and added beal
Ing to his muscular, well-forme
body; his pleasant strong young fac
acquired self-rellance and self-contro
Life became filled with possibilities fo
himself which II had never held befor
But on his day OF graduation b
, had put away the enterprises he ha
planned and the dreams he dreame
and, conscious that his debt to fath'
and mother still remained unpaid, !
had returned to care for them; Il
fathers health had failed and Jim, wi
had opened a law Office In Kansi
} City, could do nothing to help.
! No more money had followed Il
draft from Chicago and there hi
been no communication OF any kint
hut the receipt OF so considerable
!, sum had revived and intensified
Alan's speculatlons about himself. III
vague expectation Of his childho'
7 that sometime, In some way, he wou
be "sent for" had grown during Il
last six years to definite hell'
And now-on the afternoon before
D the summons had come.
This time, as he tore open the g
velope he saw that beside a chez
: there was writing whitman unev
, and nervous.looking but plainly leSit
communication In, longhand. 4
letter made no explanation. 1t tC
v him, rather than asked him, to col
! to Chicago. gave minute lnstructio
for the Journey and advised him
q telegraph when he stnrted. I