hear about Melanctha Herbert
any more, and she wished Melanctha wouldn't come in any more to see
her. She didn't hate her, but she didn't want to hear about her father
and all that talk Melanctha always made, and that just meant nothing
to her. Jane Harden was very tired of all that now. She didn't have
any use now any more for Melanctha, and if Dr. Campbell saw her he
better tell her Jane didn't want to see her, and she could take her
talk to somebody else, who was ready to believe her. And then Jane
Harden would drop away and forget Melanctha and all her life before,
and then she would begin to drink and so she would cover everything
all over.

Jeff Campbell heard all this very often, but it did not interest him
very deeply. He felt no desire to know more of this Melanctha. He
heard her, once, talking to another girl outside of the house, when
he was paying a visit to Jane Harden. He did not see much in the talk
that he heard her do. He did not see much in the things Jane Harden
said when she abused Melanctha to him. He was more interested in Jane
herself than in anything he heard about Melanctha. He knew Jane Harden
had a good mind, and she had had power, and she could really have
done things, and now this drinking covered everything all over. Jeff
Campbell was always very sorry when he had to see it. Jane Harden was
a roughened woman, and yet Jeff found a great many strong good things
in her, that still made him like her.

Jeff Campbell did everything he could for Jane Harden. He did not care
much to hear about Melanctha. He had no feeling, much, about her. He
did not find that he took any interest in her. Jane Harden was so much
a stronger woman, and Jane really had had a good mind, and she had
used it to do things with it, before this drinking business had taken
such a hold upon her.

Dr. Campbell was helping Melanctha Herbert to take care of her sick
mother. He saw Melanctha now for long times and very often, and
they sometimes talked a good deal together, but Melanctha never said
anything to him about Jane Harden. She never talked to him about
anything that was not just general matters, or about medicine, or
to tell him funny stories. She asked him many questions and always
listened very well to all he told her, and she always remembered
everything she heard him say about doctoring, and she always
remembered everything that she had learned from all the others.

Jeff Campbell never found that all this talk i