Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1920-05-21
The Trouble With
Tommy
BY WILL T. AMEs

&N~~~e~~~@~NNe~~N~N ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Copyright 1919. BY the Mcclure News
paper syndlcatA.)
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 sentry" 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 1t 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 1t 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-assertiveness.
The only occasion on which Tommy's
hand went up In time to be recognized
ny inc teacner' Wnen sne was showins
on ner puphs 70 yisll'hg parents OF
co,uiiit.se' lvn, vas Wuon nc Nus .he
ohlS enliV " ln' room VINO Ai'eW ny
"'is'fsr ~ w .luest'oi' - ~ u wv
:, = uv1 p ..e "shers weIe plepuieu
WIN tue uestrel lh1oTinhlloh 1hey were
an sur y" NeAs AVilihs " A.
There was little girl whom tommy
worShiped IN his secret soul. One
day her hat blew on. 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. 1t was
freak wind and OF q sudden the hat
sniIted It's course ana came sLraignt
at tommy ana a mud puzzle. Iommy
headed 1t on and, all blushes, took
single step toward his inamorata. Tnen
another boy grabbed the nat away from
tommy and hlmself bestowed " upon
It's owner, with the air OF one having
rescued 1t from the puddle instead OF
purloining 1t from the abashed Tom
my's worshipiui hand' Inc ht.le girl
whose name was AnhaDelie hester'
smiled penignantiy upon she othcr BOY,
whose name was bloyo Ousnman' ana
never even gave Tommy a glance
And SO II was. Al twenty tommy
was holding down the worst possible
job In the gift Of the superintendent OF
the one-horse interurDan trolley COM
pony, job whicn no one else would
take, and which necessitated his get
ting up at an unconscionaDle hour In
the morning, ana walking mile arter
taking the last car into the Darn az
night, with all MS leisure time In the
middle OF the day-and what use can
young IeiioW make Oh tne hours Irom
Ten tili tnreef
The use that Tommy made OF them
was to think, hopelessly and. with
sinking heart, ABOUT tnat same Anna
belle Hester whose nat he saved from
being muddied when ne was little
boy. Annabelle was stenographer In
town now, but she stu lived In the su-
burban village, ana very often RODE
out on the car on whlcn Tommy COL
lected the fares.
She was always friendly and nice
to Tommy, and now and then he ven
tured to talk to her q little, but only
now and then, because Tommy fan
cled 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 60
ing to be lawyer, rode out with An
nnbelle whenever he came back to the
village. which was pretty often, and
quite took possession Of her. Yes, Tom
my felt altogether "out Of 1t" with An
nabelle.
Then the war came. Tommy went as
a buck private and came back as one.
He wasn't, It appeared, of non-com ma
terial, though an intelligent, studious
and conscientious soldier. Floyd Cush-
man, tanning his way In the atten-
ton of his superiors at Plattsburg and
later in France, attained to captaincy
before he met his finish above verdun.
When Tommy was demobilized they
gave him back his old run, and 1t 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 Ellisp
.ho oxcIainod HWhan nm aarth Ala