The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-10-17
NEEDS MENDlNG.
Boy Blue Sets His Grandpa an Excellent
Example.

EAdhplCs
Boy Blue was listening while Grand
pa and another old gentleman talked.
l don't know why they called him Boy
Blue, unless it was because he had
such blue eyes, tor he would have been
the very last boy to 60 fast asleep
under hay-stack while the cows were
getting into the corn. Not he, indeed;
those bright eyes of his would have
spied them before they got within
smelling distance of the corn, and he
would have been on hand with his big
dog to make them scamper the other
way in hurry.
Ii you asked that dogs name, Boy
Blue would answer: Guess" and
then after you had guessed Rover and
Dash and Fido and Carlo, and all the
other dogs names you ever heard of,
and got tired of it and asked: "Well,
what is his name, then?" Boy Blue
would still answer: Guess" with his
eyes Just brimful and running over with
fun. And then if you began again,
and guessed all the dogs names that
you never did hear of, and got quite out
of patience this time, and declared you
would not guess any more, and he
must tell you, Boy Blue would laugh
SO hard that he would tumble down
and roll around the ground shouting
Guess! Guess" For that was the
dogs name.
Well, as 1 said, Boy Blue and Guess
were listening TO Grandpa and another
old gentleman talking. Boy Blue was
very much interested in listening, for
they were telling about something
which he thought needed to be attend
ed to right away, They were saying
that the world needed mending, that it
was in very bad way, and getting
worse all the time; that things were not
at all as they used to be, and nobody
could tell where it would all end.
Grandpa, said Boy Blue, sis il
really true that the world needs mend
ing?" ..
Eyes, indeed, child, badly enough, "
sighed the old man, shaking his head,
but never looking down at Boy Blues
earnest face.
"But where, Grandpa? -where does
it need mending?'
Everywhere, child. You can't take
step, right or left without seeing it. >
Boy Blue looked around. Sure
enough, there was a big hole in the
middle of the road. 1t had been there
ever so long, and horses had stumbled
into it, and wagons had jounced of
part of their loads by running whee
into it, and the drivers had scolded anC
grumbled, but nobody had ever tried Il
mend it. Boy Blue stood still ant
thought about it. The world was get
ting worn out it was plain.
"ltn have to be mended, that's al
about it," said he to himself "
should think Grandpa and Mr. Peter
would 90 right to work at it now.
know l can LEND that hole in the road
anyhow, and that'll be so much done
Come along, Guess"
Guess came along, and did not han
back even when he saw the little cal
pulled out, which he was not at all fon
| of drawing. He had learned by me
ancholy experience that if Boy Blu
made up his mind to have thing done
il had to be done sooner or later, an
! he might as well be good-natured abor
| it. SO back and forth he trotted, dos
, fully doing his part to mend the worlC
1t took good deal of hard work to g
big stones and little stones and gray,
T enough to fill that hole, but Boy Blu
and Guess kept at it, and when the la:
cartful of gravel was finally stampe
1 down hard, you would hardly hay
known that there had ever been no
there.
l All that time Grandpa and Mr.. Pete
I stood and talked and shook their head
!, but Boy Blue did not mind them al
' more. He had found out what needle
o to be done, and he meant to do his pa
3 of it anyway. When the hole was hll'
up he looked around for something ell
to mend. and saw a hen hoppil
+ through gap in the fence, where tV