eally say things to me. Perhaps I see it all to
be very different when I come to really see what you mean by what you
are always saying to me." "You is very sweet and good to me always,
Jeff Campbell," said Melanctha. "'Deed I certainly am not good to
you, Melanctha. Don't I bother you all the time with my talking, but
I really do like you a whole lot, Melanctha." "And I like you, Jeff
Campbell, and you certainly are mother, and father, and brother, and
sister, and child and everything, always to me. I can't say much about
how good you been to me, Jeff Campbell, I never knew any man who was
good and didn't do things ugly, before I met you to take care of me,
Jeff Campbell. Good-by, Jeff, come see me to-morrow, when you get
through with your working." "Sure Melanctha, you know that already,"
said Jeff Campbell, and then he went away and left her.

These months had been an uncertain time for Jeff Campbell. He never
knew how much he really knew about Melanctha. He saw her now for long
times and very often. He was beginning always more and more to like
her. But he did not seem to himself to know very much about her. He
was beginning to feel he could almost trust the goodness in her. But
then, always, really, he was not very sure about her. Melanctha always
had ways that made him feel uncertain with her, and yet he was so
near, in his feeling for her. He now never thought about all this in
real words any more. He was always letting it fight itself out in
him. He was now never taking any part in this fighting that was always
going on inside him.

Jeff always loved now to be with Melanctha and yet he always hated to
go to her. Somehow he was always afraid when he was to go to her,
and yet he had made himself very certain that here he would not be a
coward. He never felt any of this being afraid, when he was with her.
Then they always were very true, and near to one another. But always
when he was going to her, Jeff would like anything that could happen
that would keep him a little longer from her.

It was a very uncertain time, all these months, for Jeff Campbell. He
did not know very well what it was that he really wanted. He was very
certain that he did not know very well what it was that Melanctha
wanted. Jeff Campbell had always all his life loved to be with people,
and he had loved all his life always to be thinking, but he was still
only a great boy, was Jeff Campbell, and he had never before had any
of this funny kin