a little again to advise her.

Melanctha always told Rose now about the talks she had with Jem
Richards, talks where they neither of them liked very well what the
other one was saying. Melanctha did not know what it was Jem Richards
wanted. All Melanctha knew was, he did not like it when she wanted to
be good friends and get really married, and then when Melanctha would
say, "all right, I never wear your ring no more Jem, we ain't not any
more to meet ever like we ever going to get really regular married,"
then Jem did not like it either. What was it Jem Richards really
wanted?

Melanctha stopped wearing Jem's ring on her finger. Poor Melanctha,
she wore it on a string she tied around her neck so that she could
always feel it, but Melanctha was strong now with Jem Richards, and he
never saw it. And sometimes Jem seemed to be awful sorry for it, and
sometimes he seemed kind of glad of it. Melanctha never could make out
really what it was Jem Richards wanted.

There was no other woman yet to Jem, that Melanctha knew, and so she
always trusted that Jem would come back to her, deep in his love, the
way once he had had it and had made all the world like she once had
never believed anybody could really make it. But Jem Richards was more
game than Melanctha Herbert. He knew how to fight to win out, better.
Melanctha really had already lost it, in not keeping quiet and waiting
for Jem to do it.

Jem Richards was not yet having better luck in his betting. He never
before had had such a long time without some good coming to him in
his betting. Sometimes Jem talked as if he wanted to go off on a trip
somewhere and try some other place for luck with his betting. Jem
Richards never talked as if he wanted to take Melanctha with him.

And so Melanctha sometimes was really trusting, and sometimes she was
all sick inside her with her doubting. What was it Jem really wanted
to do with her? He did not have any other woman, in that Melanctha
could be really trusting, and when she said no to him, no she never
would come near him, now he did not want to have her, then Jem would
change and swear, yes sure he did want her, now and always right here
near him, but he never now any more said he wanted to be married soon
to her. But then Jem Richards never would marry a girl, he said that
very often, when he was in this kind of trouble, and now he did not
see any way he could get out of his trouble. But Melanctha ought to
wear his ring, sure