The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-05
HURLBUT'S QUEST.
NELLIE cRAvEY GILMORE.

(Copyright 1905, Daily Story Pub. CO., Russell had made no mistake. There was but one jewel like that in the whole world. He had made sure ei that before he bought 1t for his wife ten years before. Curious 1t was; q solid diamond heart, hanked oy score of tiny ruby ones, held in piace by the finest thread of gold that was quite invisible at the distance of
 Tonight she was wearing it in Il new piace--as a sole ornament to the cleaning pile of corn-gold hair that. alone, might have made Nannfe hus- sell beauty-famous. But besides tnis' there were eyes of a matchiess amber : gray, a richly pale. perfect skin. and fine, scarlet lips that were graveiy sweet.
 Russell gradually let his eyes away from the jewel to furtive contempia- ton of his wife's familiar features No; seven years had made slow prog ress in ageing a woman of this inoe- structible type. If anything. she had grown more splendid in her tnirnes than she had ever been in the old girl hood days of their first love.
 She was conversingi spiritedly with an ambassador. and Russell thanked Heaven that he had been allotted seat at the other end of the table. She would hardly bestow more than casual glance in that direction, and ne relied upon his short beard and eye glasses to protect him from recosni- ton.
 The dinner progressed tiresomeiy. and the running fire of small talk Rus sell found himself obliged to keep up with the lady on his right, was about the hardest work the young broker had ever done in his life.
 Presently there was a Hull. and he became conscious that all eyes were turned upon the man who sat directly opposite to him.
 "Yes." Hurlburt was saying; it seems I am here on a very absurd quest. considering the fact that l don't even know the fellows name or ad- dress--or that of any or his trlenus' All I have to go on Is that he lived on Fifth Avenue seven years ago-was tall and dark and smooth-faced, with the 'prettiest wife in New York, and snent his work hours on Wall Street."
 Russell started. Luckily. no one was looking at him. and the ridiculous red that poured over his face went unnoticed. After all, how many thou sand people there were to whom this description might apply as well as to himself! He sincerely hoped he was not growing egotistic
 The man was uyih6P yOu 5CC~-At was out in India-and all I could get out of him was that this friend of his had brought a lot of trouble and seem ing disgrace upon himself in trying to shield him from 1t, and that I must move Heaven and earth to locate him and make matters right between him and his wife. who. 1t appears. left him because of this thing"
 Russell shifted his gaze transiently A. kt. x.xtfo na1n hnA grown all at once bloodless. and she was leaning forward with parted lips and wide, tense eyes. A remark from her dinner partner recalled her to her self, and sent the crimson to her cheeks. She made some hurried re- sponse laughing in a half-hysterical little way to conceal her agitation. Then she looked back at Hurlburt again; he had stopped talking, and Russell almost jumped at the sound of his wife's clear controlled tones.
 DO tell us all about 1t, MT. Hurl- but" she was saying, "a romance like that is too rare not to be interesting.
 There isn't really much more to tell" he answered. smiling, that's where the trouble comes in Evans was always more or less gloomy, al- most melancholy-except at times; then he was unpleasantly hilarious. One day, he got confidential and told me all about his trouble, but withhold ing the names of the parties. A month later, he was stricken with fever, and they sent for me at his re- quest. Tn some way. he made 1t known to me that I must look up these people and make things right. now that he was going. But he was too far gone to talk distinctly, and never could get ct the names. The story. in brief. however, is this:
 He was staying with some friends in town two weeks prior to his we'd ding. A young lady was there, at the house, and Evans ns-man-like-found himself making love to her in slsse of himself. One night. he kissed her in the rose-garden. In some way, 1t has never been discovered how, the fact came to the ears of his fiancee. She wrote an immediate letter, dissolving their relationship. Evans replied, as- severating his innocence. He could not do otherwise. But the girl refused to budge. He confided in his friend. who. like a brave Don Quixote. took the affair Into his own hands and went to see the girl, and. in order to prove to her that Evans was innocent. himself took the, blame of the whole thing. and swore that he 1t was who kissed the young lady in the rose gar den. And in turn, the young lady who was kissed. betrayed the man to his wife, and the wife took French leave
 But did the girl-the one who was