Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 219, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1919 — The Trouble With Tommy [ARTICLE]

The Trouble With Tommy

By WILL T. AMES

<Copyrt*ht, lilt, fcy th» McClur* N»w»t>ip«r BynJlc»tf ) The trouble with Tommy Ellis jfcuiwd Itself ftwnro the first day he went to school. Tt was a little school, •ndtftere were just fifty hoots on the walls of the boys’ ‘ entry " with fiftyone boys to hang their hats on them. TT|]f a dozen r of the new boys were younger and smaller than Tommy, who bad reached the .ripe axe of seven; bnt Tommy It was ulio had,to lay hi? ear on the floor in the comer because he let the other fellows .grah-_wh-Ug he held' hack. Tommy didn’t like having to put his cap on the floor-any better than the other boys. But somebody’s had To go There, fund so it was Tommy's: It wasn’t because lie was slow or stupid that Tommy, from that time niu-4 took the dust of his schoolmates and later on the choice of whatever was being given out in the way of favors dr - Jobs or opportunities. <>rt the contrary, Tommy was brighter and quicker and naturally more skillful and clever than the majority of boys. But he was utterly lacking In self-assertlvetioss. The only-occasion on whi rii Tommy s—hand went vip in timc-to be recognised j by the teacher, when she was showing off her pupils to visiting parents or committeemen, was when he was the only child in the room who knew the answer to the question. If one or two or a dozen of the others were prepared with the desired Information they were —aß sure to beat Tommy to it: There was a little girl whom Tommy — —ln —hrs —secret seek l hie day her hat blew off. She was the school beauty, so five boys put chase after the hat. Tommy, as usual, got started last, having been humped out of his stride by another boy. It was a freak wind and of a sudden the hat shifted Its course and came straight at Tommy and a mud puddle. Tommy headed it off and. all blushes, took a single step toward his inamorata. Then another boy grabbed the hat aw ay from its owner, with the air of one having — rescued It from the. puddle instead of purloining It from the abashed Tommy’s worshipful hand. The tittle girl, whose name was Annahelle Hester, 6miled henignantly upon the other boy, - whose name was -Floyd Cushman, and never even gave Tommy a glance. -— And so tt was. At twenty Tommy was holding down the worst possible Job In the gift of the superintendent of the one-horse Interurban trolley company, a job which no one else would take, and which necessitated his getting up at an unconscionable hour in the morning, and walking a mile after ♦airing the last car into the barn at night, with all his leisure time in the middle of the day—and what use can a yonng fellow make of the hours from ten till three? The use that Tommy made of them was~fo~trunk, hopelessly and with U sinking heart, about that same Annabelle Hester whose hat he saved from being muddled when he was a little hoy. Annahelle was a stenographer in town now, but she still lived in the suburban village, and very often rode out on the car on which Tommy collected the fares. She was always friendly and nice to Tommy, and now and then tured to talk to her a little, hut only ... r™— nn.t then. .Leewufiti-a^tßWy ded Annahelle seemed a little nervous and Ml «t ease at such times, perhaps &s though she didn’t Just care about getting too intimate with a conductor. Another reason was that Floyd Cushman, who was in college now, and goIpg to be a lawyer, rode out with Annabels whenever he came back to the village, which was pretty often, and quite took possession of her. Yes, Tommy felt altogether "out of it” with Annabelle. , - Then the war came. Tomfny went as a buck private and came hack as one. He wasn't, it appeared, of non-com material, though an intelligent, studious and conscientious soldier. Floyd Cushman. Jamming his way in the atten—tlou of his superiors at Piattshurg and—later in France, attained to a captaincy before he met his finish above Verdun. When Tomrxfy was demobilized they gave him back his old run, and it was the third evening that he saw Annabelle Hester. The girl had climbed to of the car and was on the point of entering when she glanced up and saw Tommy. She went white, then rqsy. “Why. Tommy—Tommy Ellis Ikshe exclaimed. “When on earth did yon hack ■» I didn’t—l never heard—" Annabelle was becoming in-, articulate. Tommy Ellis had been through what no man can go through and still be quite ts h# was before. Much of his old sell -consciousness was gone. “Anv.tbelle,” he said in a manly, dlv - - -1/—tt— *-»Kamv —reef "wht. iQi areattipny sorry itiwui Floyd. I’m the only one yon know who was there when it happened. All the way back I was thinking yob’d want to know, and that the first thing t<j do would be to tell you. If you’ll let me know when. I’ll get off and come over to yonr house and tell you.” “Do, Tommy; come tomorrow in your off-Ume. I’m going to he home. And I do want to hear —everything.” Tommy didn't notice the odd, studying look the girl gave him. But he promised to go; and next day he went. Tommy told Annahelle about the FBHlr~of the greaturove--ripest when the Americans cleaned ont \fK<. Verdun salient; bow most of the fcaighfeoys tfere racing to get in touch

with the enemy, hut now and then comitig unexpectedly on the deadly machine gun nests of the rear guard ; how Captain Cushman, commanding Tomniy’s owjh platoon because of a shortage of lieutenants, had stormed one or these enemy positions and had been shot leading his bien across an open field.' “He died bravely. Miss Annahelle," said Tommy, in conclusion. "I wish he could have lived to come back." And then, after a little, the new Tommy asserted himself enough to venture —“to you." Annahelle looked straight at Tommy. “As a soldier," site asked, ‘‘do Votl think It was necessary for Captain “CQsEmali Tits life Tit that "Time and place? Do you think those Huns could have been-driven 'out without a frontal attack? Was it goo<fr leadership to do what he did?" >“\Vhv. Miss Annahelle," exclaimed Tommy, taken \vholly by surprise by this questioning, “what —what makes yon doubt it?” ~ “Because,” replied the girl, “I know nil about it. You are not the only person" I have seen who was there. Sergeant Canton -of your squad is my Cousin. Il<‘ told me. about it. It was a mad. blundering, headstrong piece of thoughtless bravado, and it cost many lives besides his. Tommy Ellis, i know something else. 1 know you dldn t like Flnyft Cushman. I know he nlwuvs treated you contemptuously. Then why did you, When he was Struck down, leave the cover Fanton had ordered you to take, and go out there into that rain-of bullets In a dear, wonderful, crazy attempt to save him and bring him hack to the rocks? 1 knmv all about It. I tell you,! But why did you do it —what made yob?” “Why—why —why, Annahelle. There wasn’t anything else to do—when I thought of you, waiting for him to come hark.”

“But. Tommy! I wasn’t waiting for Floyd to come hack. You dear, selfeffacing, modest, morbid old Tommy—l was waitlfig for you. And I’ve always been waiting for you uU my mortal life. Tommy Ellis, are you going to live the rest-of your existence in the old way. letting everything go for want Of enough cruelty or wickedness or ~— gumption-— or whatever it is to reach out and grab? OF arc you going to grab—me?” Annahelle was laughing and crying at once. But she cried altogether, and shuddered as she sobbed: “And you almost threw your life away!" • The war helped some. Annahelle helped a great deal more. Tommy got a better run next day. Last month he heat ont three candidates for assistant division superintendent. If you push Tommy now you’ll get pushed bn?Tr: ; ; . - : ‘ ~