to see her mother somewhere. The last thing she ever said was something
about fashion, which," he said, "showed how ingrained is vanity in the
female mind." The doctor knows something of human nature. He concluded
what he had to say with, "She was in some respects a very remarkable
woman--if she had not been an old maid. I do not suppose that she ever
drew a well breath in her life. Not that I think old maids cannot be
very acceptable women," he apologized. "They are sometimes very useful."
The doctor was a rather enlightened man.

Some of her relatives got there in time for the funeral, and a good
many of the poor people came; and she was carried in a little old spring
wagon, drawn by Fashion, through the snow, to the old home place, where
Scroggs very kindly let them dig the grave, and was buried there in the
old graveyard in the garden, in a vacant space just beside her mother,
with the children around her. I really miss her a great deal. The other
boys say they do the same. I suppose it is the trouble she used to give
us.

The old set are all doing well. Doug is a professor. He says the word
"spinster" gave him a twist to philology. Old Blinky is in Paris. He had
a picture in the salon last year, an autumn landscape, called "Le Cote
du Bois". I believe the translation of that is "The Woodside". His
coloring is said to be nature itself. To think of old Blinky being a
great artist! Little Kitty is now a big girl, and is doing finely at
school. I have told her she must not be an old maid. Joe is a preacher
with a church in the purlieus of a large city. I was there not long
ago. He had a choral service. The Gregorian music carried me back to old
times. He preached on the text, "I was sick, and ye visited me." It was
such a fine sermon, and he had such a large congregation, that I asked
why he did not go to a finer church. He said he was "carrying soup to
Mrs. Ronquist." By the way, his organist was a splendid musician. She
introduced herself to me. It was Scroggs's daughter. She is married, and
can walk as well as I can. She had a little girl with her that I think
she called "Fanny". I do not think that was Mrs. Scroggs's name. Frank
is now a doctor, or rather a surgeon, in the same city with Joe,
and becoming very distinguished. The other day he performed a great
operation, saving a woman's life, which was in all the papers. He said
to an interviewer that he became a surgeon from dressing a sore on an
old mare's bac