Dr. Campbell was always very fond of reading.  Dr. Campbell had not brought a book with him that night.  He had just forgotten it.  He had meant to put something in his pocket to read, so that he could amuse himself, while he was sitting there and watching.  When he was through with taking care of ‘Mis’ Herbert, he came and sat down on the steps just above where Melanctha was sitting.  He spoke about how he had forgotten to bring his book with him.  Melanctha said there were some old papers in the house, perhaps Dr. Campbell could find something in them that would help pass the time for a while for him.  All right, Dr. Campbell said, that would be better than just sitting there with nothing.  Dr. Campbell began to read through the old papers that Melanctha gave him.  When anything amused him in them, he read it out to Melanctha.  Melanctha was now pretty silent, with him.  Dr. Campbell began to feel a little, about how she responded to him.  Dr. Campbell began to see a little that perhaps Melanctha had a good mind.  Dr. Campbell was not sure yet that she had a good mind, but he began to think a little that perhaps she might have one.

Jefferson Campbell always liked to talk to everybody about the things he worked at and about his thinking about what he could do for the colored people.  Melanctha Herbert never thought about these things the way that he did.  Melanctha had never said much to Dr. Campbell about what she thought about them.  Melanctha did not feel the same as he did about being good and regular in life, and not having excitements all the time, which was the way that Jefferson Campbell wanted that everybody should be, so that everybody would be wise and yet be happy.  Melanctha always had strong the sense for real experience.  Melanctha Herbert did not think much of this way of coming to real wisdom.

Dr. Campbell soon got through with his reading, in the old newspapers, and then somehow he began to talk along about the things he was always thinking.  Dr. Campbell said he wanted to work so that he could understand what troubled people, and not to just have excitements, and he believed you ought to love your father and your mother and to be regular in all your life, and not to be always wanting new things and excitements, and to always know where you were, and what you wanted, and to always tell everything just as you meant it.  That’s the only kind of life he knew or believed in, Jeff Campbell repeated.  “No I ain’t got any use for all the time being in excitements and wanting to have all kinds of experience all the time.  I got plenty of experience just living regular and quiet and with my family, and doing my work, and taking care of people, and trying to understand it.  I don’t believe much in this running around business and I. don’t want to see the colored people do it.  I am a colored man and I ain’t sorry, and I want to see the colored people like what is good and what I want them to have, and that’s to live regular and work hard and understand things, and that’s enough to keep any decent man excited.”  Jeff Campbell spoke now with some anger.  Not to Melanctha, he did not think of her at all when he was talking.  It was the life he wanted that he spoke to, and the way he wanted things to be with the colored people.