human
The others used to laugh at me, but Mom never did. She was real ambitious for her children, Mom was. 'You keep on thinkin' so and you'll get there,' she used to say. 'You're smart and pretty enough for anything!' And so I was, then!
gpt
A fellow come along presently that looked pretty good to me. I met him over to Casey's dance-hall, I remember, and from the first it was all up with him. He was better than the fellows I'd been running with; a good dresser, always flashing his roll--you know race-horse people used to make good money before the Pari-Mutuels--And when he wanted me to come over here to Louisville with him--well, it looked to be my chance--Imagine starting out to be a lady, in company with Joe Markheim!
human
Not that dreadful-looking creature you were talking with to-day?
gpt
Only he wasn't dreadful-looking then. He was real handsome--or he looked that way to me. You see I was only sixteen, she sighed.
human
Almost anything in pants that'd take me away from home would have looked good to me then, I guess!--But I talked to Mom about it, and she thought I'd better take a chance, too. So I went.
gpt
You mean--you married him?
human
Well, yes. As near as I could. You see he had a wife at the time.
gpt
He--betrayed you, then?
human
Oh, no, dearie, I knew. So did Ma. But we thought I'd better take a chance.... You see, things like that depend on how you're raised. To us it was almost the same as being married. Not like poor Mame, you know. There's a whole lot of difference between a kept woman, and _her_ sort.
gpt
Is there?
human
My, yes! Sometimes if the man sees you're straight, he marries you after a while.... But Joe didn't. I'm sure I don't know why I stuck to him as long as I did, except, that I'm sort of an affectionate disposition and don't like to change, she ruminated.
gpt
And then he began to play in pretty bad luck, too, and that's not the time to leave a man, when he's down and out. I guess I'd have been sticking yet, if he'd acted decent--I ain't going to tell you what he asked me to do once when he got on his uppers, she said, darkly flushing,
human
Did--did Mr. Calloway marry you?
gpt
Sure he did! Just before he died. He got religion, and the priest told him he ought, so as he could leave me his money without any fuss. He was a good old sport, that priest! And so was Calloway. Never turned a hair. 'Wish I'd done it before!' says he--Don't you think that's a pretty good recommendation for a woman, when a man's willing to marry her after living with her for fifteen years?
human
I suppose so,