In tender hearted natures, those that mostly never feel strong passion, suffering often comes to make them harder.  When these do not know in themselves what it is to suffer, suffering is then very awful to them and they badly want to help everyone who ever has to suffer, and they have a deep reverence for anybody who knows really how to always surfer.  But when it comes to them to really suffer, they soon begin to lose their fear and tenderness and wonder.  Why it isn’t so very much to suffer, when even I can bear to do it.  It isn’t very pleasant to be having all the time, to stand it, but they are not so much wiser after all, all the others just because they know too how to bear it.

Passionate natures who have always made themselves, to suffer, that is all the kind of people who have emotions that come to them as sharp as a sensation, they always get more tender-hearted when they suffer, and it always does them good to suffer.  Tender-hearted, unpassionate, and comfortable natures always get much harder when they suffer, for so they lose the fear and reverence and wonder they once had for everybody who ever has to suffer, for now they know themselves what it is to suffer and it is not so awful any longer to them when they know too, just as well as all the others, how to have it.

And so it came in these days to Jeff Campbell.  Jeff knew now always, way inside him, what it is to really suffer, and now every day with it, he knew how to understand Melanctha better.  Jeff Campbell still loved Melanctha Herbert and he still had a real trust in her and he still had a little hope that some day they would once more get together, but slowly, every day, this hope in him would keep growing always weaker.  They still were a good deal of time together, but now they never any more were really trusting with each other.  In the days when they used to be together, Jeff had felt he did not know much what was inside Melanctha, but he knew very well, how very deep always was his trust in her; now he knew Melanctha Herbert better, but now he never felt a deep trust in her.  Now Jeff never could be really honest with her.  He never doubted yet, that she was steady only to him, but somehow he could not believe much really in Melanctha’s loving.

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.”