if Nelson Rogers could see with his glass eye

My grandfather, Nelson Rogers, was born in 1880.  When he was 66, Grampy lost an eye.  No, it was not a case of forgetting to bring the eye home with him.  In fact a branch from a tree snapped back and lodged in his eye. Subsequently the eye had to be removed and Grampy was fitted with a glass eye.

When I was eight my Roger’s grandparents celebrated their fiftieth anniversary.  Their ten living children and their children all gathered in Fielding for the celebration.  What fun we had, so much so that Grampy and Grammy went off for naps.  Somehow the conversation between the cousins turned to Grampy’s glass eye, and did he take it out when he slept.  I volunteered to go see.  I tiptoed into his room and there, in a glass of water, was his eye.  I picked up the glass and scurried outside.

Oh, how brave I felt!  I devised a dare, who was brave enough to touch the eye?  All the boys participated, and of course Brenda followed my lead, the other girls refused.  Then it was time to put back Grampy’s eye.  Why is it always so much more difficult to return an item than it is to remove it?  As I eased the glass back to the table Grampy rolled over and in his gruff voice said, “Hey”!  I froze.  He opened his eye, saw me and said “Oh, go on”!  

Lottie and Nelson Rogers 50th wedding anniversary 1958

 Later when he got out of bed Grampy made a bit production about did any of the kids want to see his eye?  And he showed us how he cleaned the socket and the eye.   We older cousins feigned disinterest but wondered just how much Grampy knew.

The next year my family moved in with my grandparents. Two of my older cousins, Jim and Barney, were living there as well.  Since the guys were almost twenty the theory was that they would help Grampy on the farm.  Grampy was not much for theory.  It seemed everything Jim and Barney touched fell apart and chores which were assigned to them were not completed.   They were to be paid for their services, however Grampy was dubious as to their worth,

Grampy had a desk in the living room and the top drawer was his cash drawer.  Part of the cash was his box of quarters.  In that day if I took a quarter to the corner store it would buy a ten cent bag of chips, a five cent chocolate bar and a pop.  How does this fit in with Grampy’s eye?  Well Grampy called me his eye and it was my task to keep him informed of Jim and Barney’s actions. Every report, Grampy would tap his glass eye and tell me to get a quarter.

Once or twice I may have helped myself to an extra quarter.  When that happened Grampy always knew.  And when I questioned him, Grampy would simply tap his eye.   No one asked me if Nelson Rogers could see with his glass eye.