The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-17
EVENING STORY
The Trouble With Tommy.
BY WILL T. AMES.

i
The trouble with Tommy ELS
showed itself from the first day he
went to school. 1t was a little school,
and there were just fifty hooks on
the walls OF the boys ENTRY" with
fifty-one boys to hang their hats on
them. Half a dozen of the new boys
were younger and smaller than Tom
my, who had reached the ripe age Of
seven; but Tommy it was who had to
lay his cap on the floor in the corner
because he let the other little fellows
grab while he held back. Tommy
didn't like having to put his cap on
boys. But somebody's had to go
there, and so it was Tommy's.
1t wasn't because he was slow or
stupid that Tommy, from that time
on, took the dust Of his schoolmates
and later on the last choice of what
ever was being given out in the way
of favors or jobs or opportunities. on
the contrary, Tommy was brighter
| and naturally more skillful and clever
than the majority of boys. But he
I was utterly lacking in self-assertive-
ness.
The only occasions on which Tom
my's hand went up in time to be
recognized by the teacher, when she
was showing off her pupils to visiting
parents or committeeman. 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 in
| formation they were all sure 10 peat
Tommy to it.
There was a little girl whom Tom
nv worshipped in his secret soul. One
day her hat blew off. She was the
school beauty, so five boys put chase
after the hat. Tommy. as usual. gos
siertei last. having been bumped ous
of his stride by another boy. 1t was
freah wind and of a sudden the hat
stttIed its course and came straight
at Tommy and a mud puddle. ToCIny
heat ed it off and, all blusnes, took Il
SINGLE step toward his inamorita. Then
another boy grabbed the hat away
from Tommy and himself bestowed it
upon it's owner, with the air of ha wing
rescued it from the puddle instel l Of
purloininE it from the abashed Tom
my's worshipful hand. The little girl.
whose name was Annabelle Hester,
smiled benignantly upon the other
| boy, whose name was Floyd Cushman,
and never even gave Tommy a glance.
And so it was. At twenty Tommy
was holding down the worst possible
Job in tho gift of the superintendent
of the one-horse interurban trolley
! company, a job which no one else
would take and which necessitated his
:
in the morning, and walking a mile
| after the last car into the barn at
| night, with all his leisure time in the
middle of the day-and what use can
young fellow make of the hours
from ten till three?
The use that Tommy made of them
was to think, hopelessly and with a
sinking heart, about that same Anna
| belle Hester whose hat he saved from
being muddied when he was little
! boy Annabelle 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 col
| lected the fares.
She was always friendly and nice to
| Tommy. and now and then he ven
| tured to talk to her a little, but only
| now and then, because Tommy fancied
| Annabelle seemed a little nervous and
! i'll at ease at such times, perhaps as
| tho she didn't just care about getting
| too intimate with a conductor An
| other reason was that Floyd Cushman,
who was in college now and going to
| be a lawyer. rode out with Annabelle
| 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. Tommy went
as a buck private and came back as
one. He wasn't, it appeared, of nom
com material, tho an intelligent,
| studious soldier. Floyd Cushman,
| jamming his way into the attention of
his superiors at Piattsburg and later
| in France attained to a captaincy be-
fore he met his finish above Verdun.
! When Tommy was demobiiiZed, they
| gave him back his old run, and it was
| the third evening that he saw Anna
belle Hester. The girl had climbed to
the platform of the car and was on
the point of entering when she glanced
/ n w M he 0nf vrTf1ff -
then rosy. Why. Tommy-Tommy
did you get back? I didn't never
heard" Annabelle was becoming
inarticuiate.
| Tommy Ellis had been thru what no
man can go thru and be quite as he
was before. Much of his old self
| consciousness was gone.
"Annabeile." he said in a manly, di-
rect way. I'm dreadfully sorry about
Floyd. I'm the only one you know
who was there when it happened. All
the way back 1 was thinking you'd
want to know, and that the first thing
I'd do would be to tell you. If you'll
let me know when. I'll get off and
come over to your house and tell you
| do, Tommy; come tomorrow In
your off time I'm going to be home.
And / do want to hear-everything.
Tommy didn't notice the odd, study
| ing look the girl gave him. But me
| promised to go: and next day he went
Tommy told Annabelle about the
speed and rush of the great move
ment when the Americans cleaned out
the Verdun salient; how most of the
time the doughboys were racing TO get
in touch with the enemy. but now
and then coming Unexpectedly on the
deadly machine gun nests of the rear
guard; how Captain CushInan, COM
manding Tommy's own platoon be-
cause of a shortage of lieutenants, had
stormed one of these enemy positions
and had been shot leading his men
across an open field. He died brave
ly, Miss Annabelle," said Tommy. in
conclusion. II wish he could have
lived to come back" And then, after
| I'D - I'm