But I never knew he had a child.

Who was this best friend of his ?" "Joe Ellison didn't mention his name," answered Larry.

"You see Joe spoke of his story only once.

But he then said that he'd had letters once a month telling how fine the kid was getting on--till three or four years ago when he got word that his friend had died.

The way things stand now, Joe won't know how to find the kid when he gets out even if he should want to find it--and he wouldn't know it even if he saw it.
Up in Sing Sing when I had nothing else to do," concluded Larry, "I tell you I thought a lot about that situation--for it certainly is some situation: Joe Ellison for fifteen years in prison with just one big idea in his life, the idea being the one thing he felt he was really doing or ever could do, his very life built on that one idea: that outside, somewhere, was his kid growing up into a fine young person--never guessing it had such a father--and Joe never intending to see it again and not being able to know it if he ever should see it.
I tell you, after learning Joe's story, it made me feel that I'd had enough of the old life." Again the Duchess spoke.