The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-18
IN SPI1E OF HER FATE.
BY ALLISON NEWELL.

Copyright, 1905, Daily Story Pup. Co)
 The first day out, both had been reasonably happy; at least they were contented Their several fates held them firmly by the hand and were lead ing them toward the fulfiilment of their destinies. k
 If either of them was disposed to rebel, it was Bentley. From time im- memorial women have had their nus bands selected for them. But with men 1t was different. Besides, what good ground had Cecil Layton for compiaiht that Miss Morgan. who held the man eial destiny of her nephew in the hol- low hand of her hand--it was where she carried her purse-that this same prim, angular little. Miss. Morgan had firmly decided that Bentley should DC Cecil's husband, on penalty Of being cut off with the proverbial "A cents fn American money.
 He hadn't seen Cecil for ten years. Then she was gangling slip Of zirl. But he had heard enough Of her during her residence in Paris, good ness knows. Every letter he had re- ceived from his aunt had dwelt upon the superlative brilliaucy of Cecil Lay toms intellect, upon the exqufsiteness of Cecil Layton's poems; upon the color of Cecil .LaytonSs eyes and hair and the bent of her nose, until he was sick of Cecil Layton, whom he pie fured as dreamy-eyed freak, who talked of sonnets and rondeaus ana blank verse att all times and made hhymes at the dinner table. X
 True, Cecil Layton came of me old Southern family, and would grace any mans mansion. But how was he' Bentley to have any mansion IT ms aunt didn't buy it for him and how was she to buy it for him if she didn buy Cecil with it?
 As for Cecil herself she had boarded the ship at Southampton in two minds. Her mother had dinned Bentley Nor gan into her ears eyer since she could remember. There was never such painter since the days of Murillo and Raphael: and he had such splendid expectations; he would get half mil lion from his aunt at least. The war had left the Layton's impoverished, and, while they were not at all mer- cenary little Mrs. Layton was not averse to being relieved of the neees- sity of keeping up appearance with such sacrifices as she had had to make for so many years. Cecil was return ing from d summer in England and she had been told that tbis wonderful Bentley Morgan was soon to return to America and--well, she would have look at him, anyhow, just to please eIs make any vulgar match for money. But was she not d Layton and what material advantages could override and outweigh the blueness of the Lay ton blood? Had not Layton come over soon after the Mayfiower?
 This was the situation the first day out and it had been slightly affected by two very simple occurrences. one was that Miss Layton had, through sudden whim, booked her passage un- der a "shoppy' little penname which she occasionally used and the other was that that blundering old ehum of Bertley's who had attended to a few details of his friends departure, had stupidIy signed his own name on the ships list and Bentley Morgan appear ed under the alias of Arnold Benton. What difference did it make? Whats in a name, anyhow? Neither took the trouble to undeceive the other. They had more interesting things to talk about than their own private troubles Besides, 1t took their minds off the immediate future, which neither con- templated with entire equanimity.
 If it had not been for Miriam Nun son. Bentley would have looked the future in the eyes with composure at least. How different she was from what he pictured this everlasting Cecil layton! Bright and yet beautiful. in aAllectual and yet not pedantic. up-to- date and yet not bizarre; she was thoroughly delightful and he found himself haunting the particular part of the ship which she had appro- priated.
 For her part, she found him vastly interesting. He was man Of the world and yet there was tenderness