Shortly after the adoption, Mary Frances developed acute anxiety. The problem started as a diffuse uneasiness, but quickly evolved into a serious psychological affliction. The underwater photography in the television program Sea Wolf would send Mary Frances into state of heightened terror. As did the ringing of the phone and the approach of dusk. George initially addressed the problem by avoiding certain programming, muffling the telephone with a pillow, and closing the blinds mid-day, but Mary Frances' maladies were always one step ahead of such measures.

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