Father and daughter entered the Castle, and seated themselves before the blazing fire. I rolled the barrel of flour into the store-room, between the house and the barn. Disposing of the rest of the articles I had bought in their proper places, my work was finished for the night.
"I will go to the block house now, Mr. Gracewood," I remarked, not wishing to intrude myself upon the happy father and child in the Castle.
"No, Phil Farringford," replied he; "I shall have no secrets from you after this, for you have learned enough to make you desire to know more."
"Sit down, Phil Farringford. Now Matt Rockwood is gone, I shall regard you both as my children," continued Mr. Gracewood, with more sprightliness than I had ever seen him exhibit before.
I put some more pitch wood on the fire, and seated myself opposite the father and daughter, where I could see the glowing faces of both.
"Now, Ella, tell me how you happen to be so far from St. Louis," said Mr. Gracewood.
"We were going to Portland, Oregon. Mr. Sparkley failed in business, and lost all his property," replied she.
"Mr. Sparkley is my brother-in-law, Phil," added Mr. Gracewood. "And you are going with him, Ella?"
"Yes; Mr. Sparkley has a good chance to go into business there."
"Is your--is your mother with him?" asked Mr. Gracewood, with some embarrassment.
I was not a little puzzled by what I heard. My good friend spoke of the mother of Ella, and I knew that she was his daughter. The mother, therefore, was his wife, as I reasoned out the problem; but I could not understand how he happened to be living in the backwoods, away from her and his child. Mr. Gracewood was silent for a time, and I began to realize that there was something unpleasant in his family relations, though the matter was incomprehensible to me.
"I suppose your mother does not speak very kindly of me," said the father, at last, with considerable emotion.
"I never heard her speak an unkind word of you, father," replied Ella, promptly; and at the same time her eyes filled with tears.
"It is true, father," added the daughter, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Don't cry, Ella; all may yet be well. Perhaps I was to blame, in part."
"You will see mother when she comes back in the steamer--won't you, father?" pleaded she.