o me. Jem sure I know you love me like
I love you always, and its all I ever could be wanting Jem to me, just
your wanting me always to be with you. I get married Jem to you
soon ever as you can want me, if you once say it Jem to me. It ain't
nothing to me ever, anything like having any money Jem, why you look
so worried to me."

Melanctha Herbert's love had surely made her mad and foolish. She
thrust it always deep into Jem Richards and now that he had trouble
with his betting, Jem had no way that he ever wanted to be made to
feel it. Jem Richards never could want to marry any girl while he had
trouble. That was no way a man like him should do it. Melanctha's love
had made her mad and foolish, she should be silent now and let him do
it. Jem Richards was not a kind of man to want a woman to be strong to
him, when he was in trouble with his betting. That was not the kind of
a time when a man like him needed to have it.

Melanctha needed so badly to have it, this love which she had always
wanted, she did not know what she should do to save it. Melanctha saw
now, Jem Richards always had something wrong inside him. Melanctha
soon dared not ask him. Jem was busy now, he had to sell things and
see men to raise money. Jem could not meet Melanctha now so often.

It was lucky for Melanctha Herbert that Rose Johnson was coming now to
have her baby. It had always been understood between them, Rose should
come and stay then in the house where Melanctha lived with an old
colored woman, so that Rose could have the Doctor from the hospital
near by to help her, and Melanctha there to take care of her the way
Melanctha always used to do it.

Melanctha was very good now to Rose Johnson. Melanctha did everything
that any woman could, she tended Rose, and she was patient,
submissive, soothing and untiring, while the sullen, childish,
cowardly, black Rosie grumbled, and fussed, and howled, and made
herself to be an abomination and like a simple beast.

All this time Melanctha was always being every now and then with Jem
Richards. Melanctha was beginning to be stronger with Jem Richards.
Melanctha was never so strong and sweet and in her nature as when she
was deep in trouble, when she was fighting so with all she had, she
could not do any foolish thing with her nature.

Always now Melanctha Herbert came back again to be nearer to Rose
Johnson. Always now Melanctha would tell all about her troubles to
Rose Johnson. Rose had begun now