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
like you just kill yourself because you are so blue, that certainly
never is Melanctha, no kind of a way for any decent kind of a girl to
do."
Rose had begun to be strong now to scold Melanctha and she was
impatient very often with her, but Rose could now never any more be a
help to her. Melanctha Herbert never could know now what it was right
she should do. Melanctha always wanted to have Jem Richards with her
and now he never seemed to want her, and what could Melanctha do.
Surely she was right now when she said she would just kill herself,
for that was the only way now she could do.
Sam Johnson always, more and more, was good and gentle to Melanctha.
Poor Melanctha, she was so good and sweet to do anything anybody ever
wanted, and Melanctha always liked it if she could have peace and
quiet, and always she could only find new ways to be in trouble. Sam
often said this now to Rose about Melanctha.
"I certainly don't never want Sam to say bad things about Melanctha,
for she certainly always do have most awful kind of trouble come hard
to her, but I never can say I like it real right Sam the way Melanctha
always has to do it. Its now just the same with her like it is always
she has got to do it, now the way she is with that Jem Richards. He
certainly now don't never want to have her but Melanctha she ain't got
no right kind of spirit. No Sam I don't never like the way any more
Melanctha is acting to him, and then Sam, she ain't never real right
honest, the way she always should do it. She certainly just don't kind
of never Sam tell right what way she is doing with it. I don't never
like to say nothing Sam no more to her about the way she always has
to be acting. She always say, yes all right Rose, I do the way you say
it, and then Sam she don't never noways do it. She certainly is right
sweet and good, Sam, is Melanctha, nobody ever can hear me say she
ain't always ready to do things for everybody anyway she ever can see
to do it, only Sam some ways she never does act real right ever, and
some ways, Sam, she ain't ever real honest with it. And Sam sometimes
I hear awful kind of things she been doing, some girls know about her
how she does it, and sometimes they tell me what kind of ways she
has to do it, and Sam it certainly do seem to me like more and more I
certainly am awful afraid Melanctha never will come to any good.
And then Sam, sometimes, you hear it, she always talk like she kill
herself all the time she is so blue, and Sam that certainly never is
no kind of way any decent girl ever had ought to do. You see Sam, how
I am right like I always is when I knows it. You just be careful, Sam,
now you hear me, you be careful Sam sure, I tell you, Melanctha more
and more I see her I certainly do feel Melanctha no way is really
honest. You be careful, Sam now, like I tell you, for I knows it, now
you hear to me, Sam, what I tell you, for I certainly always is right,
Sam, when I knows it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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