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
'Mis' Herbert was now always getting sicker. One night again Dr.
Campbell felt very certain that before it was morning she would surely
die. Dr. Campbell said he would come back to help Melanctha watch her,
and to do anything he could to make 'Mis' Herbert's dying more easy
for her. Dr. Campbell came back that evening, after he was through
with his other patients, and then he made 'Mis' Herbert easy, and
then he came and sat down on the steps just above where Melanctha was
sitting with the lamp, and looking very tired. Dr. Campbell was pretty
tired too, and they both sat there very quiet.
"You look awful tired to-night, Dr. Campbell," Melanctha said at last,
with her voice low and very gentle, "Don't you want to go lie down and
sleep a little? You're always being much too good to everybody, Dr.
Campbell. I like to have you stay here watching to-night with me, but
it don't seem right you ought to stay here when you got so much always
to do for everybody. You are certainly very kind to come back, Dr.
Campbell, but I can certainly get along to-night without you. I can
get help next door sure if I need it. You just go 'long home to bed,
Dr. Campbell. You certainly do look as if you need it."
Jefferson was silent for some time, and always he was looking very
gently at Melanctha.
"I certainly never did think, Miss Melanctha, I would find you to be
so sweet and thinking, with me." "Dr. Campbell" said Melanctha, still
more gentle, "I certainly never did think that you would ever feel it
good to like me. I certainly never did think you would want to see for
yourself if I had sweet ways in me."
They both sat there very tired, very gentle, very quiet, a long time.
At last Melanctha in a low, even tone began to talk to Jefferson
Campbell.
"You are certainly a very good man, Dr. Campbell, I certainly do feel
that more every day I see you. Dr. Campbell, I sure do want to be
friends with a good man like you, now I know you. You certainly, Dr.
Campbell, never do things like other men, that's always ugly for me.
Tell me true, Dr. Campbell, how you feel about being always friends
with me. I certainly do know, Dr. Campbell, you are a good man, and if
you say you will be friends with me, you certainly never will go back
on me, the way so many kinds of them do to every girl they ever get
to like them. Tell me for true, Dr. Campbell, will you be friends with
me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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