But, in the mysterious workings of Providence, it was destined that the good, the beautiful, the angelic girl should not be long of this world.

“De good Lord ob hebben has tuk her away to her reward!” wept an old negress, who had been saved by the kind and tender care of Agnes, a short time before, and who had waited on her in her dying moments, and closed her eyes when all was over.

This poor old creature was only too happy when they gave her permission to prepare the inanimate form of her late benefactress for the grave.  When she had done all, she did not know what to do for some ornament, till at last a brilliant thought came across her mind, and she adopted it.

Wherever Agnes used to go she always carried a small basket containing little useful articles, together with a pocket Bible, out of which she was ever reading some portion of God’s holy word, appropriate to the mental condition of the patients she might be nursing.  Out of this basket old Rachel took the pocket Bible, and, with the tears coursing down her wrinkled features, she placed the sacred book in the clasped hand of the quiet sleeper, and laid both gently back on the still pure bosom.

“O, honey,” she groaned, “ef ye could on’y open dem hebbenly eyes ob yourn, an’ see dat book dar, wot you used to lub so well, how you would bress dis poor ole niggah fur puttin’ it in dat pooty white hand ob yourn.”

The manner in which Agnes lost her life was as follows: 

During the day the three who were ill with the fever were exceeding troublesome, fairly overtasking the strength of Agnes in attending to them.  Shortly after noon, also, the baby began to exhibit symptoms of being ill.  It steadily grew worse, and became exceedingly fractious.  The only way in which Agnes could pacify it, was to keep walking with it in her arms constantly.  The moment she would attempt to sit down to rest herself or lay it in its crib, so that she might do something for the others, it would scream dreadfully till she began to walk it again.

In this way Agnes worried along for the greater portion of the night, never closing her eyes nor sitting down.  Just before daylight, however she became so utterly wearied out with fatigue, that she actually got asleep several times while walking.

During one of these overpowering moments she stepped too near the top of the stairway, lost her balance, toppled over, and fell heavily all the way down to the bottom.  There she struck the small of her back upon the edge of a water-pail that happened to be standing on the floor.

Had she not been encumbered with the baby she might have saved herself.  But the instant she awoke, and found that she was falling, her first and only thought was how to keep the infant from going down underneath herself and being surely killed.  To prevent this, she endeavored to hold it up, which effort caused her to twist or turn round in her descent, and so fall as to inflict on herself the dreadful and fatal injury.