The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-04-07
CHAPTER II
Who Is Alan conrad7

VINO is Alan ConradI
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
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 it, 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 roticed the question
put to the people whe 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 a sort of purple or black
printing like newspapers, Alan in
variably received a collar to spend
just as he liked To be sure. unless
papa" took him to town, there was
nothing for him to spend it upon; so.
likely enough, it went into the square
iron bank, of which the key was lost;
but quite often he did spenC. it 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 CON-
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 '7as, at 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 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
beside the river.
Papa and n. MA, at first surprised
and dismayed by the stopping of the
letters, still chung to the hope of the
familiar, observation-disclosures en-
velope appearing again; but when,
after two years. no more mones came.
resentment which had been steadily
growing against the person who had
sent the money began to turn against
Ala and his parents" told him all
they knew about him.
In 1896 they had noticed an adver-
Gsement for persons to care for a
child; they had answered it to the
Office of the newspaper which printed
II. 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
E year and agreed to send certain
/, amount every two months after that
\ time. The man brought the how
Swhom he called Alan Conrad. and left
him. For seven years the money
agreed upon came; now it had ceased
1,Rnd papa had no way of finding the
1nan-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
already had guessed-the fact that he
belonged somewhere else than i'm 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 therea He'd
the money ceased coming because the
person who sent it 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
vert to the town school. which COM