Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-01-06
INVALID moLLle fANcHgR.
How n Blind and Bsdriddsn saffsrer ssss'
Her Days and Nightss

Has n Blind and Bsdriddsn Sufferer fsssss
Her Days and Nightss
~ warm afternoon In July the writer
,.sik-,, nm Downing street TO the house OF
As,ss Moilie Eancher. widely known - y
.,,as, remarkable invalid. In whom many
,,hxsscIans have taken interest. some nav
IN, aver iourueyed from England 70 sec
her Roth windows were wide open ana
sbe shades half way up. The Invalid wa
y,.clinin0. propped with pillows, IN that
he8 where she has lain helpless Tor ~
yaayu Ft Is well known that her eyes
are sIgbrless. but abe was embroidering
,.,ith rolored silk. Scattered over the Gov
svlst though In perfect order. were papers
~ needles. packages OF silk. scrapbook, lei
Ter. neatly tied In parcels and many otner
objects Indicative OF the activity OF Miss
Fancher's brain and fingers. Laying asiue
her work with pleasant smile OF weicome'
sbe extended her hands, which, BY the way,
are exceedingly pretty.
Mollie's room, her prison, u tasteiuiiy
decorated with many touching souvenirs On
brighter days when pain had not become =
constant guest, and when loving hearts
hoped that the gifted girl had sunny pain
before her. Miss S. Crosby, Moliies De
voted aunt, often expressed the hope tnaI
abe would outliye her long suffering, dear.
lv loved charge, but she was summoned
first 10 the great unknown beyond. Faith
ful friends do what lies In their power 10
compensate In some degree for such an IT
remarkable loss, and Miss Fancher has
grateful as well as brave heart But In
talking with her one forgets that she IA
suffering. Having keen sense OF hnmor,
she loves fun and tries hard to forget pain
when friends are by her side.
Her many pets, too-dogs, cats, squirrels,
birds. mice, etc.--have been a consolation
through many weary hours. BY one win
dow stands AN aquarium containing gold
Ash. In connection with this the writer
heard the following story from its owners
Inns; "Once I had polliwog In there
among the fish. After II developed into
| frog made a pet OF 1t. and 1t learned to
know my voice used to have the aquari-
mn brought beside the bed so that the pol.
liwog could easily jump out Of II down up
ON the coverlet, and he did II every time
4 and came hopping to my hand when
scratched the bedclothes and called it.
would Just put IL here and rub Its little bit
OF a head with one finger, and IL would
never move. One day that polliwog was
gone-could not be found anywhere-and
didn't Miss the poor little thing
"A few days later ! took up some work
that had been laid aside for a few days. IL
was a white wooden shawl that was knit
ting and which l kept In low basket on
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 spider. He
had been nothing but wind and water any.
way, and he was changed into dried up
mummy. ] suppose the poor little thing
had jumped out Of the aquarium TO Look
for me and hoped along the floor under
the bed till he came 10 that white wool,
which he probably took to be the coverlet,
his feet got entangled In II, and he had TO
stay there and dry up"
When asked IL she ever invited him TO
dry up. Mollie said she certainly had not.
At one time family of flying squirrels
kept her company and amused her during
many sleepless nights. She said, Il have
owned and lost so many pets that the yard
at the back Of this house Is pet cemetery,
for they have al! been buried there"
Turning suddenly TO tue writer, Mollie,
with closed eyelids, remarked, What u
peculiar brooch you have, like an open fan
turned upside down"
| IT, ~ was gwen ~ iuc W WIN
brought 1t from Egypt. 1t represents Maui,
mother Of Isis, with outspread wings. But
tell me more Of your pets"
"Oh, have had so many. One was a
three eornered-no, mean a three legged
mouse. The poor little thing When any
one asks you how many legs a mouse has,
YOU had better reply that It depends upon
how many IL has lost. Well, the hero In
question was minus one trotter. Whether
lost in noble warfare or in a common mouse
trap never ascertained. Trois pieds wa.
very sociable and grew so intimate with
my canary bird that the two became fast
friends. The mouse would frequently run
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 tc
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 OF
with ease and comfort Is more than car
tell "-Brooklyn Eagle.