"Was it nice there?"
His voice was dreamy. "While my mother was alive, we had a big house and
there was always fun. But she went, and then my father died when I was
twelve and--"
He paused suddenly and turned to look shrewdly at her. "Any more
questions, Mrs. Tower?"
In the darkness, Emma blushed. But she carried on determinedly. "You've
expressed a desire to marry Barbara," she said frankly, "and you want to
take her on an overnight trip to Laramie. Naturally, I intend to find
out a great deal more about you, Ellis."
"Very well!" he said, angry now. "Here are some facts." He began
speaking rapidly and distinctly, shooting out the facts as though he
were making a legal report. "When my father died my Uncle George was the
executor. There was always enough money, but Uncle George and I didn't
get along. He wanted me to go into his bank. I didn't care for that. For
a year I went to Columbian College--that's in Washington, Mrs. Tower,
and then...."
He broke off sharply, and there was a long moment of silence. When he
spoke again, his voice was quiet and ashamed. "Forgive me, Mrs. Tower.
You've a right to know everything about me that you want to know. You've
already found out one bad thing about me--I have a quick temper and an
unpleasant one. I want to apologize."
"That's all right, Ellis," Emma said serenely. "Let's go on from here.
You were at college in Washington, you say?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said humbly. "I met a girl in Washington, Mary
Harkness. I was in love with her. When Mary's folks decided to come
west, there seemed to be nothing left for me in the east. I came along.
It seemed the right thing to do. I had enough money to buy a horse and
everything else I needed."
"What happened, Ellis?" Emma whispered.
"When we got to Laramie, Mary married a man named Jeremy Blake. They
went on together."