This book was given to us by Amy’s Granddaughter, Wendy, hoping that we could find inspiration in here for a Your Stories In Song …song. And we did! A G Wooller, otherwise known as Amy and ‘Nanny Wooller’, wrote countless poems and pieces of prose. Country Tales is a wonderful collection of her local tales. We chose the story of Molly Mothballs as inspiration.
Here’s a link to a video of the song performed by the very first time, at Pickhams in Wilmington. Filmed by Wendy Holmes.
Molly Mothballs
She probably had a proper name but to country folk she was ‘Molly Mothballs’. In the winter she walked from workhouse to workhouse in search of food and shelter’ But a haystack, a barn or even a dry ditch was all she needed in the warmer weather. She sold miscellaneous articles
from the basket she carried, tapes, ribbons, cottons, etc., but she did more begging than selling. The blackened old can would be held. out with a request for hot water and, in her wheedling voice, “Perhaps a pinch of tea ma’am, a wee bit of sugar, if you can spare it, and maybe a dash of milk.” You received a toothy smile in recompense, but a refusal brought down curses on your head and upon your family and all your descendants’ Moreover, your choicest flowers were in danger of having their heads swiped off as she went down the garden path and
The gate would be slammed with considerable force.In appearance she was as much like a fairy tale witch as it is possible to imagine. Her ragged clothes, her grey hair which hung in wisps about her swarthy face, a thin pointed nose and fierce black eyes made her a terrifying person to children.
I met Molly Mothballs once in a village shop’ It wasa very cold day and she was crouching over a Valor heating stove while the shop-keeper went for the customary hot water plus tea, milk and sugar. Two girls were at the counter waiting to be served.They were giggling and whispering obviously about the old woman. She ignored them for some time’ then suddenly she turned on them. “What’s amusing you ignorant hussies?” she demanded angrily. “I’ll have you know I was born a lady and I used
to ride in my father’s carriage. We would have scorned such as you!” And so it proved to be when she was found dead in a ditch one frosty morning. She had property in London and rents had accumulated over the years.Why she chose the life of a vagrant nobody ever knew.
A G Wooller, Country Tales . Copyrighted.