Three Lives: Stories of The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle LenaStein, Gertrude
General
Three Lives: Stories of The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle Lena
Stein, Gertrude
Working class women -- Fiction
Melanctha Herbert was a little angry now when Jeff asked her, "I never
give nobody before Jeff, ever more than one chance with me, and I
certainly been giving you most a hundred Jeff, you hear me." "And why
shouldn't you Melanctha, give me a million, if you really love me!"
Jeff flashed out very angry. "I certainly don't know as you deserve
that anyways from me, Jeff Campbell." "It ain't deserving, I am ever
talking about to you Melanctha. Its loving, and if you are really
loving to me you won't certainly never any ways call them chances."
"Deed Jeff, you certainly are getting awful wise Jeff now, ain't you,
to me." "No I ain't Melanctha, and I ain't jealous either to you. I
just am doubting from the way you are always acting to me." "Oh yes
Jeff, that's what they all say, the same way, when they certainly got
jealousy all through them. You ain't got no cause to be jealous with
me Jeff, and I am awful tired of all this talking now, you hear me."
Jeff Campbell never asked Melanctha any more if she loved him. Now
things were always getting worse between them. Now Jeff was always
very silent with Melanctha. Now Jeff never wanted to be honest to her,
and now Jeff never had much to say to her.
Now when they were together, it was Melanctha always did most of the
talking. Now she often had other girls there with her. Melanctha was
always kind to Jeff Campbell but she never seemed to need to be alone
now with him. She always treated Jeff, like her best friend, and she
always spoke so to him and yet she never seemed now to very often want
to see him.
Every day it was getting harder for Jeff Campbell. It was as if now,
when he had learned to really love Melanctha, she did not need any
more to have him. Jeff began to know this very well inside him.
Jeff Campbell did not know yet that Melanctha had begun again to
wander. Jeff was not very quick to suspect Melanctha. All Jeff knew
was, that he did not trust her to be now really loving to him.
Jeff was no longer now in any doubt inside him. He knew very well now
he really loved Melanctha. He knew now very well she was not any more
a real religion to him. Jeff Campbell knew very well too now inside
him, he did not really want Melanctha, now if he could no longer
trust her, though he loved her hard and really knew now what it was to
suffer.
Every day Melanctha Herbert was less and less near to him. She always
was very pleasant in her talk and to be with him, but somehow now it
never was any comfort to him.
Melanctha Herbert now always had a lot of friends around her. Jeff
Campbell never wanted to be with them. Now Melanctha began to find
it, she said it often to him, always harder to arrange to be alone now
with him. Sometimes she would be late for him. Then Jeff always would
try to be patient in his waiting, for Jeff Campbell knew very well how
to remember, and he knew it was only right that he should now endure
this from her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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