had Melanctha Herbert always there to help her, and she
sat and was lazy and she bragged and she complained a little and she
told Melanctha how she ought to do, to get good what she wanted like
she Rose always did it, and always Melanctha was doing everything Rose
ever needed. "Don't you bother so, doing that Melanctha, I do it or
Sam when he comes home to help me. Sure you don't mind lifting it
Melanctha? You is very good Melanctha to do it, and when you go out
Melanctha, you stop and get some rice to bring me to-morrow when you
come in. Sure you won't forget Melanctha. I never see anybody like
you Melanctha to always do things so nice for me." And then Melanctha
would do some more for Rose, and then very late Melanctha would go
home to the colored woman where she lived now.

And so though Melanctha still was so much with Rose Johnson, she had
times when she could not stay there. Melanctha now could not really
cling there. Rose had Sam, and Melanctha more and more lost the hold
she had had there.

Melanctha Herbert began to feel she must begin again to look and see
if she could find what it was she had always wanted. Now Rose Johnson
could no longer help her.

And so Melanctha Herbert began once more to wander and with men Rose
never thought it was right she should be with.

One day Melanctha had been very busy with the different kinds of ways
she wandered. It was a pleasant late afternoon at the end of a long
summer. Melanctha was walking along, and she was free and excited.
Melanctha had just parted from a white man and she had a bunch of
flowers he had left with her. A young buck, a mulatto, passed by and
snatched them from her. "It certainly is real sweet in you sister, to
be giving me them pretty flowers," he said to her.

"I don't see no way it can make them sweeter to have with you," said
Melanctha. "What one man gives, another man had certainly just as much
good right to be taking." "Keep your old flowers then, I certainly
don't never want to have them." Melanctha Herbert laughed at him and
took them. "No, I didn't nohow think you really did want to have them.
Thank you kindly mister, for them. I certainly always do admire to see
a man always so kind of real polite to people." The man laughed, "You
ain't nobody's fool I can say for you, but you certainly are a damned
pretty kind of girl, now I look at you. Want men to be polite to you?
All right, I can love you, that's real polite now, want to see me try