Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-11-06
lets Remodel Paradise 2 L. ~. i.

ana III never forgive Carlotta- There's
nothing you can do about It, So now
please be calm and legal and tell me
about the Vermont laws about d.
vorce"
I got up and glared at him across
the desk. You're being mulish." said.
II won't have anything to do with
your idiotic divorce. You ought to
know that"
"Okay." he said sullenly. Then I'll
go to Jepson Storms"
He is the other lawyer in town "Oh.
that old buzzard." I sneered. He'd
take any divorce case. He rushes them
right through before there's a chance
of reconciliation"
"Okay," Tom repeated, rising. $50
long, Hank, hope Storms office is
still open"
Unfortunately it was, and Tom
talked over the whole case AS an
attorney I have found that once
client discusses his marital grievances
with lawyer he begins to feel he has
irrevocably burned his bridges The
very word divorce repeated and re-
peated whips up the conflaPration In
fifty percent of the domestic prob
lens I handle I am able to head off
the divorce by refusing to sympathize
with the aggrieved. Of course that's
one reason I will never make money.
Although Tom moved down to the
Travellers Hotel on Storms advice,
didn't see him very often. He seemed
to avoid me as five had quarreled.
But one day when Tom was eating
dinner in the grill I went over to his
table. I couldn't stand it any longer.
His eyes had that frightened. helpless
expression of lost dogs. He needed
shave and his khaki breeches and
shirt looked as if he had slept in
them. noticed that he had had sew
eral quick ones before his dinner and
he downed them mighty quick indeed
And he had been my best friend since
We Ore in college and well, I
felt bad.
What are you doing about your
place." I asked, in a matter-of-fact
way.
"Oh, I'm deciding it to Carlotta," he
said just as casually. II insisted. I
wouldn't want to live in it again." He
laughed. Paradise Lost, you know"
But I saw that his lips began to
tremble and he covered them with his
hard brown hand. "She can remodel
it to her hearts DESIRE" he added
Storms is drawing up the deed"
You know" I said, that you'll
have to have straw man."
"Hows that?" he asked puzzled
I explained the interesting quirk in
our Vermont law which dates back to
the fundamental English laws in the
dow IF 10 o1y Avn t1fy Vn,s-
mont just never saw fit to question
the wisdom of the mother country in
regard to this solemn legality. In order
for husband to deed a property to
his wife (and vice versa there must
be straw man." that is, a third
party. The husband, in this case,
would have to sell the property to the
straw man 'for the consideration of
one dollar" and the straw man would
Immediately deed it over to the wife.
But why? What's the big idea?"
asked Tom, as nearly everyone does.
Because" said, "in the eyes of the
law, you and Carlotta are one. You
can't deed thing to part of your
self, Tom
He flushed. That's nutty," he said
well, you can insult Blackstone if
your like" said, bit nettled. 1.-THE
fact remains that Vermont will not
allow you to deed your goods to a
chattel."
Can you imagine Carlotta being
chattel!" he muttered.
Therefore," I went on, you will
have to get around the oldfashioned
law by roundabout procedure. You
must deed the place to third party
who will in turn deed it to your chat
tel"
stop calling her that!" he pro-
tested. Its insulting"
I added, half in fun: "If I were you
I wouldn't have old Jepson Storms for
the third party. A straw man must
be somebody you trust implicitly. And
wouldn't trust Storms as far as I
could throw an elephant"
You draw up the deed, Hank" he
said. Please
Not on your life! I told you I
wouldn't have anything to do with it."
I still had hope he and Carlotta
might get together again. But it was
a faint hope, for too much water had
flowed under too many bridges in too
quick a time.
I had no idea he would take me
seriously about old Storms, and Jep-
son must have been very much If
ritated when Tom took Mrs. Hapgood
along as the third party.
I met Carlotta in the village green
one day and we sat down together on
a bench. She looked little and pale
and her eyes we're more the color of
autumn-leaf-b brown than butterflies
wings. Il know it's tough" said. And
it will be tougher until the whole
thing ends in court. Isn't it odd to
think that you've got the place you
wanted but in such a roundabout
way?"
I didn't mean to hurt her but she
gave a little choking sound. Don't
Hank Anyhow I haven't exactly
got it yet. But of course I will"
What do you mean you, haven't
exactly got it yet?"
well, Mrs. Hapgood was the straw
manor straw woman, would you say?
Rllt she was en- ,pSet-she had a Sl1d-