The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-10-17

rs eager rs ever anu lIuuBeu OH IOt
hammer and nails, ard was soon pound
ing away at the pickets as if his life de-
pended on getting them in place. He
remembered now how many times
mother had run out yesterday to scare
the hens away. People got worn out,
too, sometimes, and had TO be mended,
he reflected.
Well, this would be one more thing
mended. When he got the pickets on,
he meant to 90 and nail down the loose
board on the back door-stepS. Mother
had said that morning that she believed
she should break her leg on that board.
1t would be easier to mend the board
than the leg, and would not take so
long either.
When the fence and the steps were
in good condition again Boy Blue stood
still few minutes, not Immediately
seeing any more work to do. Presently
he caught sight of a broken place in
one of the square, hollow pillars of the
porch. Joe had STAYED it in one day
with the handle of his rake, and Boy
Blue remembered that Grandpa had
said that it must be pretty rotten, or it
would not have broken so easily. He
looked at the hole, and poked his
fingers into it; then he pulled out his
knife and proceeded to investigate
further. Then he went and examined
the other pillar, and as the result of
that examination he lodged outside OF
the porch, and shouted: "Grandpa!" at
the top OF his lungs.
Grandpa, who had finished his talk
with Mr.. Peters, and was taking a
quiet doze on the sitting-room lounge,
sprang up and rushed out on the porch,
expecting at least to see Boy Blue lying
on the ground under the big apple-tree
with his leg broken. But Boy Blues
legs appeared to be perfectly sound,
and he remarked, calmly; Il wouldn't
stand under that porch roof if l were
you, Grandpa, cause the pillars are so
rotten it might come down almost any
time"
"Pillars rotten!" said Grandpa.
"Oh, nonsense Is that all you're
screaming about"
Come out here and give me leave to
give 'em one good hit?" asked Boy
Blue, eagerly, longing for a bit of fun
after all his hard work. But Grandpa
thought it prudent to examine before
giving his permission, and the result of
his examination was that he immediate
ly went to work to prop up the porch
roof with stout poles.
"May l nowP" as ed Boy Blue.
"Well, yes" responded Grandpa;
eff they'll come down with one hit,
they can't be of much USE"
Boy Blue rushed off for a club, and
aimed valiant blow at one of the
pillars. Crack! and with splinter
ing and crumbling noise the decayed
wood fell into so many pieces that there
was hardy one large enough to pick
up. Th9 other pillar met with like
fate.
"My patiencer' exclaimed Grandpa,
surveying the ruins, ''that thing might
have come down on our heads any even
ing when we're sitting out here, and
broke all our skulls for us. How did
you come to find out twas SO rotten,
sonnyp"
"Why, / was looking for something
to mend, and | thought I'd mend that
hole Joe punched in the pillar, and then
found it was so rotten was afraid it
would come down on my head; so L
hollered at you"
, what did you want something to
mend forP" asked the man, in surprise.
Because heard you and Mr.. Peters
saying the world needed mending, and
l thought I'd do my share; and l
mended the hole in the road while you
/ stood there talking, and then l fixed the
fence and the doorstep"
"Mended the hole in the road!' in
{ terrupted Grandpa, greatly astonished;
and down he went to the gate to see for
himself that the dreaded hole was
actually filled up and smoothed over as
if it had never been.
land he did it while we stood groan-
ing over the world needing mending,"
S muttered Grandpa, under his breath;
land it's been there for months, and
e neither of us ever thought of touching
; it. Such little hands, too! hope the
e next generation will be like Boy Blue. y
e Ida NJ Lane, IN Harper'S Young
O | peODlp