ised to be
at the old place to meet her. Jem Richards was absent in his manner to
her. By and by he began to talk to her, about the trip he was going
to take soon, to see if he could get some luck back in his betting.
Melanctha trembled, was Jem too now going to leave her. Jem Richards
talked some more then to her, about the bad luck he always had now,
and how he needed to go away to see if he could make it come out any
better.

Then Jem stopped, and then he looked straight at Melanctha.

"Tell me Melanctha right and true, you don't care really nothing more
about me now Melanctha," he said to her.

"Why you ask me that, Jem Richards," said Melanctha.

"Why I ask you that Melanctha, God Almighty, because I just don't give
a damn now for you any more Melanctha. That the reason I was asking."

Melanctha never could have for this an answer. Jem Richards waited and
then he went away and left her.

Melanctha Herbert never again saw Jem Richards. Melanctha never again
saw Rose Johnson, and it was hard to Melanctha never any more to see
her. Rose Johnson had worked in to be the deepest of all Melanctha's
emotions.

"No, I don't never see Melanctha Herbert no more now," Rose would say
to anybody who asked her about Melanctha. "No, Melanctha she never
comes here no more now, after we had all that trouble with her acting
so bad with them kind of men she liked so much to be with. She don't
never come to no good Melanctha Herbert don't, and me and Sam don't
want no more to see her. She didn't do right ever the way I told her.
Melanctha just wouldn't, and I always said it to her, if she don't be
more kind of careful, the way she always had to be acting, I never
did want no more she should come here in my house no more to see me. I
ain't no ways ever against any girl having any kind of a way, to have
a good time like she wants it, but not that kind of a way Melanctha
always had to do it. I expect some day Melanctha kill herself, when
she act so bad like she do always, and then she got so awful blue.
Melanctha always says that's the only way she ever can think it a easy
way for her to do. No, I always am real sorry for Melanctha, she never
was no just common kind of nigger, but she don't never know not with
all the time I always was telling it to her, no she never no way could
learn, what was the right way she should do. I certainly don't never
want no kind of harm to come bad to Melanctha, but I certainly do
think she will mo