done missionary work; she had never done anything in her life; she was
always wasting her time pottering about the country on her old horse,
seeing sick old darkies or poor people in the pines. No matter how bad
the weather was, nor how deep the roads, she would go prowling around
to see some old "aunty" or "uncle", in their out-of-the-way cabins,
or somebody's sick child. I have met her on old Fashion in the rain,
toiling along in roads that were knee-deep, to get the doctor to come
to see some sick person, or to get a dose of physic from the depot. How
could she have done any missionary work?

I believe she repaid the doctor for his care of her by sending him a
charity patient to look after--Scroggs's eldest girl, who was bedridden
or something. Cousin Fanny had a fancy that she was musical. I never
knew how it was arranged. I think the doctor sent the money down to have
the child brought on to New York for him to see. I suppose Cousin Fanny
turned beggar, and asked him. I know she told him the child was the
daughter of "a friend" of hers (a curious sort of friend Scroggs was, a
drunken creature, who had done everything he could to pain her), and
she took a great deal of trouble to get her to the train, lending old
Fashion to haul her, which was a great deal more than lending herself;
and the doctor treated her in New York for three months without any
charge, till, I believe, the child got better. Old maids do not mind
giving people trouble.

She hung on at the old place as long as she could, but it had to be
sold, and finally she had to leave it; though, I believe, even after it
was sold she tried boarding for a while with Scroggs, the former tenant,
who had bought it. He treated her so badly that finally she had to
leave, and boarded around. I believe the real cause was she caught him
ploughing with old Fashion.

After that I do not know exactly what she did. I heard that though the
parish was vacant she had a Sunday-school at the old church, and so
kept the church open; and that she used to play the wheezy old organ and
teach the poor children the chants; but as they grew up they all joined
another Church; they had a new organ there. I do not know just how she
got on. I was surprised to hear finally that she was dead--had been dead
since Christmas. It had never occurred to me that she would die. She had
been dying so long that I had almost come to regard her as immortal, and
as a necessary part of the old county