The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-10-02
The Trouble With
Tommy
BY WILL T. AMES
copyright, 1919. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)

paper syndicate)
The trouble with Tommy Ellis
showed itself from the first day he
went TO school. 1t was 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 Tommy, who
had reached the ripe age OF seven:
hut Tommy II was who had to lay his
cap on the floor In the corner because
he let the other fellows grab while he
held back. Tommy didn't like having
to put his cap on the floor any better
than the other boys But somebody's
had TO 20 there, ard so II was Tom
mys
II wasn't because he was slow or
stupid that Tommy, from that time on,
took the dust of his schoolmates and
later on the choice of whatever was
bctng given out in the way of favors or
Jobs or opportunities. On the contrary,
Tommy was brighter and quicker and
naturally more skillful and clever than
the majority of boys. But he was ut
terly lacking In self-assertiveness.
The only occasion on which Tomnys
hand went up in time 10 he 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. II one or two
or n dozen Of the others were prepared
with the desired information they were
all sure to beat Tommy to II.
There was little girl whom Tommy
worshiped 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, got
started last, having been bumped out
of his stride by another hoy. II was n
freak wind and of sudden the hat
shifted its course and came straight
mt Tommy and mud puddle. Tommy
headed II Off and. all bushes, took a
single step toward his inamorata. Then
another boy grabbed the hat away from
Tommy and himself bestowed 1t upon
It's owner, with the air of one having
rescued 1t from the puddle instead of
purloining II 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 q glance.
And so 1t was. At twenty Tommy
,I Ia
job in the gift of the superintendent of
the one-horse interurban trolley COM
prny, job which no one else would
take, and which necessitated his get
ting up at an unconsciOnable hour in
the morning, and walking mile after
taking 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 n
sinking heart, about that same Anna
belle Hester whose hat he saved from
being muddled when he was a little
boy. Annabelle was n stenographer in
town now, but she still lived In the SUI
burban 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 little, but only
now and then. because Tommy fan
cied Annabelle seemed little nervous
and III at ease AZ such times, perhaps
MS though she didn't just care about
getting too intimate with conductor
Another reason was that Floyd Cush
man, who was In college now, and go.
ing to he u lawyer. rode out with An
nabelle whenever he came back to the
village. which was pretty often, and
Qui.e took possession of her. Yes, Tom
my felt altogether 'out of IT. with An
nabelle.
Then the war came. Tommy went MS
] buck private and came back as one
he wasn't, II appeared. of non-com maj
,erial though an intelligent. studlous
and conscientious soldier. Floyd Cush
man, iammlng his way In the atten
tlon of his superlors at Plattsburg and
later In France, attained to n captalncy
before he met his finish above yerdun
When Tommy was demobillzed they
gave him back his old run, and II was
the third evening that he saw Anna
belle Hester The girl had climbed tC
the platform of the ear and was on the
point of entering when she glanced III
and saw Tommy. She went white. ther
rosy. "Why. Tommy-Tommy Ellis =
she exclaimed. when on earth did
YOU get back? didn't never
heard" Annabele was becoming in
artlculate.
Tommy Ellis had been through what
no man can go through and still be
quite ms he was before. Much OF his
old self-consciousness was gone.
"Annabelle." he said In n manly, di
rect way. "Fm dreadfully sorry about
Floyd. I'm the only one you know who