of his
treatment of her, for surely, he said it always by his actions to her,
surely she must know how a man was when he had trouble on his mind
with trying to make things go a little better.

Sometimes Jem and Melanctha had long talks when they neither of
them liked very well what the other one was saying, but mostly now
Melanctha could not make Jem Richards quarrel with her, and more and
more, Melanctha could not find any way to make it right to blame him
for the trouble she now always had inside her. Jem was good to her,
and she knew, for he told her, that he had trouble all the time now
with his betting. Melanctha knew very well that for her it was all
wrong inside Jem Richards, but Melanctha had now no way that she could
really reach him.

Things between Melanctha and Jem Richards were now never getting any
better. Melanctha now more and more needed to be with Rose Johnson.
Rose still liked to have Melanctha come to her house and do things
for her, and Rose liked to grumble to her and to scold her and to tell
Melanctha what was the way Melanctha always should be doing so
she could make things come out better and not always be so much in
trouble. Sam Johnson in these days was always very good and gentle to
Melanctha. Sam was now beginning to be very sorry for her.

Jem Richards never made things any better for Melanctha. Often Jem
would talk so as to make Melanctha almost certain that he never any
more wanted to have her. Then Melanctha would get very blue, and she
would say to Rose, sure she would kill herself, for that certainly now
was the best way she could do.

Rose Johnson never saw it the least bit that way. "I don't see
Melanctha why you should talk like you would kill yourself just
because you're blue. I'd never kill myself Melanctha cause I was blue.
I'd maybe kill somebody else but I'd never kill myself. If I ever
killed myself, Melanctha it'd be by accident and if I ever killed
myself by accident, Melanctha, I'd be awful sorry. And that certainly
is the way you should feel it Melanctha, now you hear me, not just
talking foolish like you always do. It certainly is only your way just
always being foolish makes you all that trouble to come to you always
now, Melanctha, and I certainly right well knows that. You certainly
never can learn no way Melanctha ever with all I certainly been
telling to you, ever since I know you good, that it ain't never no way
like you do always is the right way you be actin