The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-22
AN ARMLEss WoMAN's FEATs.
Writing, Threading Needle, and Feeding
Herself With Her Toes.

''Now, let me show you what I can
do, Dinnerll be here in just moment.
Thread a needle! OF course l can:
See?" and suiting the action to the
word, Mrs. Thomson picked up a fine
needle with the large and second toe of
the right foot, held it tightly between
the tips, and taking some warm in her
left foot, rolled the end deftlv on a
small, smooth stone, put it to her mouth
By bending her body almost double,
and deftly inserted the yarn in the nee
die, more easily than bachelor threads
large needle with very fine thread.
Next she took handsome tidy on which
she was crocheting and with remarka-
BILE deftness held the work with her
right foot while with her left she guided
the needle in and out, catching the
threads with ease and fashioning the
figure as fast as ''my lady" in the sit
ting-room does with her soft hands.
Her right eye giving her some trouble
during this work, she deity pushed
back the spectacles which she wore and
with the second toe rubbed the eyelid.
Then she bent forward and brushed
back few stray hairs from her fore
head. Taking up the pen between the
large and second toe of her left foot,
and holding a slip of paper with her
right toes, she wrote in q feminine
hand, small and rather neat: HE that
lends to all shows good will but little
sense. Ann E. L. Thomson. Born
without arms, December %, 1889, Ga"
This written, she put the pen down, took
up blotter with her left foot, placed it
over the writing and dried the ink.
Taking up pair of large scissors with
the large and third toe of the left foot,
she cleverly cut off the portion of the
paper on which she had written.
Here comes my dinner. Now YOU
can see me eat-not that it's such a
sight, but you may find it odd to see
one eat with toes instead of fingers"
MI. Thomson spread out napkin on
the platform, and placed on it the din
ner OF person in good health. Mrs
thomson turned around in her seat,
took up cup of tea in her foot, stirred
1t up with spoon held in her right toes,
and half bending, half raising the cup
to her lips, drank off the tea and placed
the cup on the platform. Then she
grasped a flat-handled silver knife in
her left toes, caught fork between the
first two toes of her right foot, and cut
some steak into pieces. Part of it was
tough, but she had no more trouble in
cutting it than an ordinary person would
have. A piece of meat held on the fork
was transferred to her mouth, and was
followed by a piece of bread broken
from a slice by her large and second
toes.
As soon as she had finished this novel
meal, Mrs. Thomson continued: g l for
got to tell you about my schooling. O,
yes, went to school. The pupils were
kind, and l had little raised platform
for my use. l held my books in my
toes, and read and studied as well as
the rest of the girls. held slate in
my right foot and the pencil between
the toes of my left and managed to fig
ure as well as anyone. Ny right limb
is shorter than my left, and learned to
write with my left foot, as you have
seen. | learned all that was taught in
the common schools of Georgia before
the War. .h-DetrOit Times.