Chapter 13

McElroy came to work the next morning, after being off work for three days. He was still in a bad way believing the boy was dead. He couldn’t be off work any longer, or else he would not have enough money to pay his debts this month. He reasoned that by working it would help him get over the boy. When he reached the telegraph desk he was handed a message by the key man just going off duty. Mac read the message asking about the lad and he winced with the pain of remembering.

“No!” He said “I won’t do it.” He then put the message into his pocket and relieved the key man on the desk. The day started and ran along like any other. The message in his pocket began to bother him. “Deal with it, don’t run away and hide,” he thought to himself. “Oh! Hell,” he said and started to bang away at the key.

Billie was in the kitchen that morning getting the ‘Free Lunch’ ready when Ralph the key man came running into the Red Dog Saloon.

“Billie,” he yelled.

She came into the Bar Room. “Here,” she responded.

“Here’s your first answer,” said the Key Man handing her an envelope.

“Who’s it from?” she asked.

“It’s on the envelope,” he replied.

“New York operator,” she said. She read the description of the lad. “This can’t be right” she said. “His height is the only thing that matches, and that he’s from Romania.”

“Maybe this telegram will be the right answer,” said Ralph the key man.

“What, another one?” she said. “Who’s this one from?”

“It’s on the envelope,” said Ralph.

“Why don’t you just tell me and save the railroad money on paper?” she said ripping the envelop open.

“Can’t do that, it’s against the rules,” he said with a smile.

“So’s hauling runaway children and stowaways,” she snapped back.

The smile on Ralph’s face quickly turned into a frown.

“It’s from Judy the daughter of the general. She says that Ivan is who he says he is and that he was sent to Oklahoma to find a farm for his family living in the slums of New York. When he finds a good piece of land he is to write to them and then they will follow him out to the farm he has found. It’s true. It’s true,” She shouted.

“Well, how about that?” said Ralph “Only the people in New York think the lad was killed.”

“We’ll just have to convince them that Ivan is very much alive and that he is with us here in Watdoya.”

“How we going to do that?” asked a puzzled Ralph.

“You have them in New York ask questions of Ivan, you know, things that only Ivan could possible know. Ivan will tell us and then you send them the answers,” she said.

“Why yes, that’ll work just fine,” he said. “Billie, where’s the boy?”

“He’s riding old Tulip it was love at first sight for them both,” smiled Billie. “You go set it up at the station and I’ll go get Ivan.”

Every one in the station at Watdoya was chatting away at the feat the lad had accomplished. In a small town like Watdoya a secret is like a lightning bolt. It can’t be hidden for any length of time. It seems that everyone in the town was there. In New York it was much a different scene. McElroy, Johann, Anna, Joanna, Natasha, and the superintendent were gathered around a secondary key in a privet room up stairs.

Ralph hit the key and pounded out “All ready here.”

Mac pounded out the question “Name of sister.”

Ralph spoke to Ivan “name of sister.”

“Two sisters, Joanna and Natasha,” replied Ivan.

When Mac told the family the answer they still kept their sad faces. He then pounded out “Name of grand parents and location.”

“Name of grand parents?” Ralph asked.

“Johann Yanosh . . . Métier Yanosh . . . Ivan Solana . . . Eva Solana,” Ivan said.

Ralph had sent the names while Ivan was talking. “Location of grand parents” said Ralph.

“Romania,” he said.

“Yes, but where in Romania?” asked Ralph.

“Bucharest,” said Ivan.

Ralph sent the name and a plea for the correct spelling.

The faces of the family began to show signs of their belief that it might be possible that Ivan was still alive.

Mac sent one more message “Where is the birth mark on Ivan, and what does it look like?”

Ralph turned to Ivan “Where is your birth mark?”

The lad’s eyes went wide “No, no,” said Ivan.

“You don’t have a birth mark?” asked Ralph.

“Ivan got birth mark, I not tell,” he said.

“Oh! It’s in a sensitive area,” said Ralph. “Well, you whisper in my ear and I’ll pass it along to the family.”

“You no tell,” asked Ivan.

“Only to the key,” said Ralph. The boy whispered into his ear and Ralph smiled. “And what does it look like?” Again the boy whispered the answer to the Key Man, who then sent the message.

Mac looked very surprised and smiled very big. He turned to the family who were gathered very close to the desk. He turned his attention to them and said “It’s on his butt and he said you call it a pollywog.”

There was shouting and screaming, hugging and kissing in New York. Mac managed to send a description of the scene to Watdoya and then the celebration began there too. All up and down the lines across the country the wires were hot with the news “IVAN DID IT, SAVED BY THE BIRTHMARK ON HIS BUTT.”