Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-06
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 } THE STURGIS WAGER { A DEFECTIVE STORY. z y By EDGAR MORETTE. X
 : Copyright, 1899, by Frederick A. Stokes Co. J
A DETECTIVE STORY.

Now that he was in the house the reporter was confronted with the ne cessity of explaining his presence there without betraying his true pur- pose This would not have been a difficult matter had the inmates of the house been total strangers; but he felt that it would be by no means so easy to offer an explanation which would be satisfactory to man of Murdock's keen perception. And Mur- dock was the last person to whom he would have confided the true reason of his visit; not only because the chemist, as his opponent in the wager concerning the Knickerbocker bank mystery, was interested in thwarting rather than in aiding his investiga- ton, but chiefly because he felt a strong instinctive distrust of the man.
 As these thoughts were passing through the reporters mind, he slow ly paced the long hall, back and forth, with his hands behind his back. In so doing. he passed a door which was slightly ajar and caught glimpse of long rows of bookshelves loaded with beautifully bound edi- tions. The place was evidently the library. It occurred to him that a library is public room and that he would be more comfortable in there than in the hall.
 He pushed open the door and looked in. The room was empty. He en- tered.
 The library occupied a space be- tween the parlor and the rear room
 
 it was separated from each of these rooms by folding-doors over which hung heavy portieres.
 Sturgis was a lover of books; his interest was at once aroused in the collection before him. It was ad- mirably selected from the standpoint of a philosopher and a man of sci ence. Every department of history, of philosophy and of science had its section in which the volumes were classified and arranged with intelli- gent care. But curiously enough, po- etry and art were but meagerly rep resented.
 One section specially attracted Sturgis' attention. It was devoted en- tirely to the history of crime in all it's phases and in all ages. Criminal statistics, criminal jurisprudence and the psychology of crime, as well as the biogra phies of all the noted crim inals of ancient and modern times, were completely represented. Almost the only works of fiction in the. col lection were in this section, and in cluded every book imaginable con- corning criminals and their deeds. Many rare and curious volumes were there-some of them so rare that they could be found in only few of the great libraries of the world.
 Here Sturgis was in his element. He had himself collected a valuable library on the subjects kindred to his profession; but here were books many of which none but a Croesus could ever hope to own. He was soon ab- sorbed in an examination of some rare volumes which he had often longed l to possess.
 While thus engaged he became aware of the murmur of voices from the rear room. As the words spoken could not be distinguished, he paid no ! special attention to them; but, in stinctively, he noted that one of the VOICES IONeu III ll1c cdll1, even IoASS | so characteristic of Murdock's speech, |, while the other, whose timbre and 1 nfodulations were unknown to him, l betrayed the repressed excitement of 1 the speaker.
 It soon became evident that Mur- 1 docks interlocutor was fast losing control of himself: for he gradually pitched his voice in higher key, un- til occasional words began to reach 1 Sturgis' ears. The reporter was not the man to wantonly play the part of eavesdropper; therefore, although the isolated words which reached him 1 brought no connected sense, he judged that it was time to move out of earshot of the conversation to which he was becoming an involun- tary listener. Replacing upon it's shelf the book which he had been ex- amining, he started toward the hall door. As he did so, he heard the now thoroughly excited individual ex- claim in loud tones:
 'I don't care a damn for the money. I only went into the scheme because you promised she'd have me; and, by God, if I don't get her, I'll give the whole cursed thing away"
 Sturgis, who had reached the hall door, pricked up his detectives ears at these words. But in another sec ond he heard the knobs of the fold ing doors rattle, as though some one had placed his hands upon them.
 Quick as thought he opened the door and glided out into the hallway He had not time to pull the door quite to behind him when the folding doors opened and he heard Murdocl say in his calm, frigid tones:
 Perhaps you have done that al ready with your dulcet voice."
 Had Murdocl1 seen him? The re porter asked himself the question Probably not; for he heard the fold ing doors close once more.
 CHAPTER XVIII.
 A few minutes later Sturgis, ap