The answer to the question: What is the last name of the person who is little seen or heard from by the family? is inside the article: Jack Griffith, known as "Papa" to all, is a family man in a Texas town, but an irresponsibly eccentric one when he has had a drink too many. To impress his six-year-old daughter Corinne, he spends the family's savings to buy his own circus, simply so the little girl can have her own pony. His elder daughter Augusta becomes distraught as her father makes some questionable business deals under the influence of alcohol.  This  causes strife within the Griffith household and makes her beau's father (the local bank president) forbid his son to associate with the Griffith family. After his squandering leaves the Griffiths in debt, wife Ambolyn packs up Augusta and Corinne and moves to Texarkana, Texas, where her father, Anthony Ghio, is the mayor. Griffith attempts to use his circus to help Ghio's bid for reelection, but accidentally causes Ambolyn to end up with a broken hand. Despondent, he leaves for Louisiana and is little seen or heard from by the family. Talked into an attempt at reconciliation, Papa is reluctant, believing the Griffiths want nothing more to do with him, but he is welcomed back with open arms., can you guess it ?
Griffith