The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-04

I gathering movement, forced upon the lec-
 turer the consciousness that the internal
 arrangements of his body, If not of his
 brain. were subject to revision. and de- | tached him from the company, which by this time was heartily sick of him. l It was at this point that Peter Beau
 champ made use of the expression al-
 ready quoted. It was the revolt of criti- I cal youth against dogmatic age.
 As Sir Henry Budd staggered to his l feet, and. with one hand on a supporting | post of oak, prepared to launch himself across the tilting floor, Peter Beauchamp ! said in a low, but clear voice, 'Pompous | old assr'
 1 Sir Henry Budd turned round and fixed him with his eyes. '.I shall remember you, young man." he sad, coldly. and then a | heaving lurch sent him reeling out of the saloon in search of his cabin and the l safety of recumbency.
 Peter Beauchamp had forgotten all about the self-important old man whom he had offended when he came on deck early the next morning to gain an appe- | tite for breakfast by a brisk half-hour's promenade of the shining deck. | The sky was clear and the sun bright. | but the great ship was rolling and pitch | ing as she rode the Atlantic rollers, and
 the majority of her passengers were | either suffering patiently in their berths 1 or preparing themselves uncomfortably | for a later appearance.
 Only one other beside himself seemed l to have felt the story of the night and 1 the motion of the ship so little as to
 come up on deck for an early morning promenade. and that was girl in a neat costume of brown tweed, in whose clear
 skin, bright eye and slender, active fig
 ure all the health and vigor of her 20
 years seemed to have materialzed.
 The young mah eyed her with grow | ing admiration as they passed and re- | passed and an occasional side glance
 seemed to show thatahis interest In her
 personality was reciprocated in so far
 as was becoming in a young woman of l good breeding.
 By and by, when Peter Beauchamp
 was beginning to think it rather absurd that he and she should be pacing up and down the deck in opposite directions | when it would be so much pleasanter to
 walk side by side, a more than usually
 heavy roll threw the girl off her feet and against the bulwarks. This hap pened just at their point of meeting, and 1 Peter was instantly at her side, express ing fervent hopes that she had not hurt herself.
 It appeared that she had not; but the l inquiry was permitted to serve as an | introduction, and the pair finished thelr | walk in company.
 l They got on surprisingly well, and 1 learned a good deal about one another during the short interval that remained
 before the bugle summoned them to the 1 breakfast table.
 One important fact. however, about ] his compa nion Peter Beauchamp failed
 to gather, and that was that she was the daughter of the gentleman whom
 he had called "pompous old ass.' prac- 1 tically to his face. the night before. This disturbing piece of information
 was mercifully withheld from him until
 after he had enjoyed almost a whole morning in Miss Beatrix Budd's society
 Fart of 1t was spent in company with
 her mother, who was led upon deck
 shortly after breakfast and encamped in
 a sheltered corner. with plentiful pro-
 vision in the way of cushions. shawls
 and rugs.
 Peter Beauchamp was fortunate in be-
 ing at hand to carry part of this para phernalia from the companonway into
 the open. and Lady Budd accepted his
 assistance then and his continued pres ance thereafter in a way which caused
 him to congratulate himself heartily. Lady Budd was a mild placid lady, SO ] overshadowed by the importance of her | husband that her conversation never ran on for long together without men,