The Mount Holly news., 1919-10-21
The Trouble With
Tommy
By WILL T. AMEs

1ue trouble with tommy Ellis
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 dozen of the new boys were
younger and smaller than Tommy, 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 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 go there, and so it was Tom
my'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 choice of whatever was
being 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-assertivehess
The only occasion on which Tommy'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 dozen of the others were prepared
with the desired information they were
all sure to beat Tommy to it.
There was little girl whom Tommy
lworshiped 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 boy. It was a
freak wind and Of sudden the hat
shifted its course and came straight
at Tommy and, mud puddle. Tommy
headed IL off and, all blushes, took
single step toward his inamorata. Then
another boy grabbed the hat away from
Tommy and himself bestowed 1t upon
its owner, with the air Of one having
rescued 1t from the puddle instead Of
purloining 1t 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 the gift Of the superintendent Of
the one-horse interurban trolley COM
peny, a job which no one else would
take, and which necessitated his get
ting up at an unconscionable hour in
the morning, and walking a 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
a young fellow make Of the hours from
ten till threel
The use that Tommy made Of them
was to think. hopelessly and with
sinking heart, about that same Anna
belle Hester whose hat he saved from
being muddied when he was little
boy. Annabelle was 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 Ill at ease at such times, perhaps
as though she didn't just care about
getting too intimate with a conductor.
Another reason was that Floyd Cush-
man, who was In college now. and go
ing to be a lawyer, rode out with An
nabelle whenever he came back to the
village, which was pretty often, and
quite took possession Of her. Yes, Tom
my felt altogether "out Of it" with An
nabelle.
Then the war came. Tommy went as
a buck private and came back as one.
He wasn't. 1t appeared, Of non-com ma
terial, though an intelligent, studious
and conscientious soldier. Floyd Cush-
man, jamming his way In the atten-
tion of his superiors at Plattsburg and
later in France. attained to captaincy
before he met hts finish above verdun.
When Tommy was demobilized they
gave him back his old run, and II 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 up
and saw Tommy. She went white, then
rosy. "Why, Tommy-Tommy Ellis |"
she exclaimed. when on earth did
You get back? I didn't-I never
heard" Annabelle was becoming in
articulate.
Tommy Ellis had been through what
no man can go through and still be
quite as he was before. Much of his
old self-consciousness was gone.
"Annabelie," he said In manly, d.
rect way. "Tm dreadfully sorry about
Floyd. I'm the only one you know who
was there when 1t happened. All the
way back I was thinking you'd want to
know, and that the first thing I'd dc
would be to tell you. If you'll let me
know when. III 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, studying look the
girl gave him. But he 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
6oughboys were racing to get In touch
with the enemy, but now ana tneD
coming unexpectedly on the deadly ma
chine gun nests Of the rear guard; how
Captain Cushman. commanding Tom
my'S own platoon because of short
age of ieutenants, had stormed one Of
these enemy positions and had been
shot leading his men across an open
field. He died bravely, Miss Anna
BELLE" said Tommy. in conclusion. j
NASh hO SOuiu Hdfe hfCu " SO'-N
back" And then, after little, the
new Tommy asserted himself enough
to venture-''to you"
Annabelle looked straight at Tommy.
"As soldier" she asked, do you
think 1t was necessary for Captain
Cushman to lose his life at that time
and placer Do you think those Huns
could have been driven out without
frontal attack2 Was 1t good leader
ship to do what he didT'
why, Miss Annabelle," exclaimed
Tommy. taken wholly by surprise by
this questioning, "what-what makes
you doubt it?"
Because" replied the girl, Il know
all about 1t. You are not the only per-