thought this would be really the best thing for her to do.

Rose was now to be married to a decent good man of the negroes. His
name was Sam Johnson, and he worked as a deck-hand on a coasting
steamer, and he was very steady, and he got good wages.

Rose first met Sam Johnson at church, the same place where she had met
Melanctha Herbert. Rose liked Sam when she saw him, she knew he was a
good man and worked hard and got good wages, and Rose thought it
would be very nice and very good now in her position to get really,
regularly married.

Sam Johnson liked Rose very well and he always was ready to do
anything she wanted. Sam was a tall, square shouldered, decent, a
serious, straightforward, simple, kindly, colored workman. They got
on very well together, Sam and Rose, when they were married. Rose
was lazy, but not dirty, and Sam was careful but not fussy. Sam was
a kindly, simple, earnest, steady workman, and Rose had good
common decent sense in her, of how to live regular, and not to have
excitements, and to be saving so you could be always sure to have
money, so as to have everything you wanted.

It was not very long that Rose knew Sam Johnson, before they were
regularly married. Sometimes Sam went into the country with all the
other young church people, and then he would be a great deal with Rose
and with her Melanctha Herbert. Sam did not care much about Melanctha
Herbert. He liked Rose's ways of doing, always better. Melanctha's
mystery had no charm for Sam ever. Sam wanted a nice little house to
come to when he was tired from his working, and a little baby all his
own he could be good to. Sam Johnson was ready to marry as soon as
ever Rose wanted he should do it. And so Sam Johnson and Rose one
day had a grand real wedding and were married. Then they furnished
completely, a little red brick house and then Sam went back to his
work as deck hand on a coasting steamer.

Rose had often talked to Sam about how good Melanctha was and how much
she always suffered. Sam Johnson never really cared about Melanctha
Herbert, but he always did almost everything Rose ever wanted, and
he was a gentle, kindly creature, and so he was very good to Rose's
friend Melanctha. Melanctha Herbert knew very well Sam did not like
her, and so she was very quiet, and always let Rose do the talking for
her. She only was very good to always help Rose, and to do anything
she ever wanted from her, and to be very good and listen and be quiet
w