The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-03-30
closed moheyi, tsasea,

the emu or every second month-a loss
much discussed by all the children
and not accepted rs permanent rill
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 I'm the wooden mill
beside the river.
Papa and mama, at first surprised
and dlsmayed by the stopping Of the
letters. still clung to the hope OF the
familiar, typewriter-addressed en-
veiope 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 q
child; they had answered 1t to the
Office of the newspaper which printed
IL. In response to the letter man
called upon them and, after seeing
them and going around to see their
friends, had made arrangements with
them to take Il boy Of three, who was
In good health and came of good
people. He paid In advance board for
year and agreed TO send n certain
amount every two months after that
time. The man brought the bow:
whom he called Alan Conrad. and lef,
MN. 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 I'm the Chi
cago pal ers after the money stopped
coming, and he had communicated
with every one named Conrad I'm 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 houSo-was all that any
one there could tell him; and the
knowledge gave persistence to many
internal QucStiOningS Where did he
belong? Who was he? Who was the
man who had brought him there? Tad
the money ceased coming because the
person who sent it was dead2 In
that case, connection of Alan with the
place where he belonged was per-
manentiy broken. Or would some other
communication from that source reach
him some time-lf not money. then
something else? Would ne he sem for
some day?
Externally, Alan's learning the little
that was known about himself made
no change I'm his way of living: he
went to the town school. which com.
bined grammar and high schnoIs
under one roof; and. ~ he grew older,
he clerkCd 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 cama.
1t was addressed this time not to
papa, but to Alan Conrad. He seized
1t, tore 1t open, and bank draft for
nfteen 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
seven years during which no money
was sent, even when the total which
Alan had earned was deducted. SO
Alan merely endorsed the draft over
to father: and that fall Jim. Alan's
roster brother, went to college. But.
when jim discovered that II not only
was possible hut planned mt the uni
versty for boy to work his way
through, Alan went also.
-Four wonderful years followed. In
companlonship with educated people;
Ideas and manners came to him which
ne could not have acquired at home
athletics Strengthened and added bear
Ing to his muscular, well-formed
body; his pleasant, strong young face
acquired self-reliance and self-control.
Life became filled with possibilities for
himself which It had never held before.
But on his day of graduation he
had put away the enterprises he had
planned and the dreams he dreamed
and, conscious that his debt to father
and mother still remained unpaid, he
had returned TO care for them; for