I ain’t ashamed Melanctha, right here to tell you, I ain’t ashamed ever to say I ain’t got no longing to be brave, just to go around and look for trouble.”  “Yes that’s just like you always, Jeff, you never understand things right, the way you are always feeling in you.  You ain’t got no way to understand right, how it depends what way somebody goes to look for new things, the way it makes it right for them to get excited.”

“No Melanctha, I certainly never do say I understand much anybody’s got a right to think they won’t have real bad trouble, if they go and look hard where they are certain sure to find it.  No Melanctha, it certainly does sound very pretty all this talking about danger and being game and never hollering, and all that way of talking, but when two men are just fighting, the strong man mostly gets on top with doing good hard pounding, and the man that’s getting all that pounding, he mostly never likes it so far as I have been able yet to see it, and I don’t see much difference what kind of noble way they are made of when they ain’t got any kind of business to get together there to be fighting.  That certainly is the only way I ever see it happen right, Melanctha, whenever I happen to be anywhere I can be looking.”

“That’s because you never can see anything that ain’t just so simple, Jeff, with everybody, the way you always think it.  It do make all the difference the kind of way anybody is made to do things game Jeff Campbell.”

“Maybe Melanctha, I certainly never say no you ain’t right, Melanctha.  I just been telling it to you all straight, Melanctha, the way I always see it.  Perhaps if you run around where you ain’t got any business, and you stand up very straight and say, I am so brave, nothing can ever ever hurt me, maybe nothing will ever hurt you then Melanctha.  I never have seen it do so.  I never can say truly any differently to you Melanctha, but I always am ready to be learning from you, Melanctha.  And perhaps when somebody cuts into you real hard, with a brick he is throwing, perhaps you never will do any hollering then, Melanctha.  I certainly don’t ever say no, Melanctha, to you, I only say that ain’t the way yet I ever see it happen when I had a chance to be there looking.”

They sat there together, quiet by the fire, and they did not seem to feel very loving.

“I certainly do wonder,” Melanctha said dreamily, at last breaking into their long unloving silence.  “I certainly do wonder why always it happens to me I care for anybody who ain’t no ways good enough for me ever to be thinking to respect him.”

Jeff looked at Melanctha.  Jeff got up then and walked a little up and down the room, and then he came back, and his face was set and dark and he was very quiet to her.

“Oh dear, Jeff, sure, why you look so solemn now to me.  Sure Jeff I never am meaning anything real by what I just been saying.  What was I just been saying Jeff to you.  I only certainly was just thinking how everything always was just happening to me.”