The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-08-15
INVALID MoLLiE FANcHER.
How y Blind and He'd on Sufferer PASSES
Her Days aud Nights.

INV - ~ Mbht ubCuG Y y
Her Days and Nights.
On n warm afternoon In July the writer
walked up Downing street to the house OF
Miss Mollie Fancher, widely known as n
most remarkable invalid, in whom many
physicians have taken interest, some hay
ing even jourleyed from England TO see
her. Both windows were wide open and
the shades. half way up. The invalid was
reclining, propped with pillows, In that
bed where she has lain helpless, for n
years. 1t IL we'll known that her eyes
are sightless, but she was embroidering
with colored silk. Scattered over the GOV.
erlet. though In perfect order, were papers
OF needles, packages Of silk, scrapbook, let
tors neatly tied In parcels md many other
objects indicative Of tho activity OF Miss
Fancher's brain and fingers. Laying aside
her work with Il pleasant smile Of welcome,
she extended her hands, which, by tho way,
are exceedingly pretty.
Mollie's room, her prison, Is tastefully
decorated with many touching souvenirs Of
brighter days when pain had not become a
constant guest, and when loving hearts
hoped that the gifted girl had n sunny path
before her. Miss s.. Crosby, Mollie's de
voted aunt, often expressed the hope that
she would outlive her long suffering, dear
ly loved charge, but she was summoned
first to the great unknown beyond. Faith
full friends do what lies in their power to
compensate in some degree for such an ir-
reparable loss, and Miss Fancher has a
grateful as we'll as a brave heart. Bnt in
talking with her II forgets that she is
suffering. Having a keen sense of humor,
she loves fun and tries hard to forget pain
when friends are by her side.
Her YnnnU nets tnn--6npg Cqtg cnr1irpn1c
birds, mice, etc.-have been u consolation
through many weary hours. BY one win
dow stands an aquarium containing gold
fish. In connection with this the writer
heard the following story from its owners
lips: "Once l had a polliwog In there
among the fish. After it developed into a
frog | made a pet OF It, and 1t learned to
know my voice. | used to nave the aquari
um brought beside the bed SO that the pol
liwog could easily jump out Of it down up
on the coverlet, and he did it every time
and came hopping to my hand when l
scratched the bedclothes n called it. /
would just put it here and rub its little bit
Of 4 head with one finger, Int it would
never move One day that polliwog was
~gone-could not be found anywhere-and
didn't l miss the poor little thing!
"A few days later I tool up some work
that had been laid aside for a few days. IL
was a white wooden shawl that l was knit
ting and which l kept in a low basket OIL
this side of my bed. Well, what do you
Think When / took up that shawl. there
was the polliwog all dried and shrunk up
so that he looked about like a spider. HI
had been nothing but wind n water any
way, and he was changed Into a dried up
mummy. l suppose the poor little thing
had Jumped out of the aquarium to lock
for me and hoped along the floor under
the bed till ne came to that white wool,
which he probably took to be the coverlet,
his fest got ~entangled in it, and he had to
stay there and dry up"
When asked il she ever invited him to
dry up. Mollie said shc certainly had not.
At one time a family of flying squirrels
kept her company and amused her during
many sleepless nights. She said, II have
owned and lost so many pets that the yard
at the back of this house is a pet cemetery,
for they have all been buried there"
Turning suddenly to the writer, Mollie,
with closed eyelids. remarked, "What a
peculiar brooch you have, like an open fan
turned upside down."
"Yes. it was given to me by a friend who
brought 1T from Egypt. 1t represents Maui,
mother Of Isis, with outspread wings. But
tell me more Of your pets"
"Oh, l have had 50 many. One was 9
three cornered-no, I mean a three legged
mouse. The poor little thing. When any
one asks o how many legs a nous has
you had better reply that it depends upon
how many it has lost. Well, the hero iu
question was minus one trotter. Whether
lost in noble warfare or in u common mouse
trap l never nscertained. Trois pieds was
very sociahle and grew so intimate will
my canary bird that the two became fast
friends. The mouse would frequently rur
up the white curtain to the cage, and just
as soon as he came within reach the canary
would take seed in his beak and hurry te
feed the cripple. At night the mouse got
right into the cage, and the two friends
slept side by side there on the perch. How
Trois pieds managed to hold himself or
with ease and comfort is more than l cal
tel. "-Brooklyn Eagle.