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The Case of the Howling Dog :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 4 из 146It's driving me crazy. I can't stand that continual howling. You know, a dog howls when there's a death due to occur in the neighborhood."
"Where is the dog?" asked Mason.
"In the house next door."
"You mean," asked Perry Mason, "that the house where Mrs. Clinton Foley lives is on one side of you, and the house that has the howling dog is on the other side?"
"No," said Cartright, "I mean that the howling dog is in Clinton Foley's house."
"I see," Mason remarked. "Suppose you tell me all about it, Cartright."
Cartright pinched out the end of the cigarette, got to his feet, walked rapidly to the window, stared out with unseeing eyes, then turned and paced back toward the lawyer.
"Look here," he said, "there's one more question about the will."
"Yes?" asked Mason.
"Suppose Mrs. Clinton Foley really shouldn't be Mrs. Clinton Foley?"
"How do you mean?" Mason inquired.
"Suppose that she's living with Clinton Foley, as his wife, but isn't married to him?"
"That wouldn't make any difference," Mason said slowly, "if you described her in the will as 'Mrs. Clinton Foley, the woman who is at present living with Clinton Foley at 4889 Milpas Drive, as his wife. In other words, the testator has a right to leave property to whom he wishes. Words of description in a will are valuable only so far as they explain the intention of the testator.
"For instance, there have been many occasions when men have died, willing property to their wives, and it has turned out they were not legally married. There have been cases where men have left property to their sons, when it has turned out that the person was not really his son…"
"I don't care anything about all that stuff," said Arthur Cartright irritably. "I'm just asking you about this one particular case. It wouldn't make any difference?"
"It wouldn't make any difference," Mason said.
"Well, then," said Cartright, his eyes suddenly cunning. "Suppose that there should be a real Mrs. Clinton Foley. What I mean is, suppose Clinton Foley had been legally married and had never been legally divorced, and I should leave the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley?"
Perry Mason's tone of voice was that of one soothing groundless fears.
"I have explained to you," he said, "that the intention of the testator governs. If you leave your property to the woman who is now residing at that address, as the wife of Clinton Foley, it is all that is necessary. But do I understand that Clinton Foley is living?"
"Of course he's living.
"Where is the dog?" asked Mason.
"In the house next door."
"You mean," asked Perry Mason, "that the house where Mrs. Clinton Foley lives is on one side of you, and the house that has the howling dog is on the other side?"
"No," said Cartright, "I mean that the howling dog is in Clinton Foley's house."
"I see," Mason remarked. "Suppose you tell me all about it, Cartright."
Cartright pinched out the end of the cigarette, got to his feet, walked rapidly to the window, stared out with unseeing eyes, then turned and paced back toward the lawyer.
"Look here," he said, "there's one more question about the will."
"Yes?" asked Mason.
"Suppose Mrs. Clinton Foley really shouldn't be Mrs. Clinton Foley?"
"How do you mean?" Mason inquired.
"Suppose that she's living with Clinton Foley, as his wife, but isn't married to him?"
"That wouldn't make any difference," Mason said slowly, "if you described her in the will as 'Mrs. Clinton Foley, the woman who is at present living with Clinton Foley at 4889 Milpas Drive, as his wife. In other words, the testator has a right to leave property to whom he wishes. Words of description in a will are valuable only so far as they explain the intention of the testator.
"For instance, there have been many occasions when men have died, willing property to their wives, and it has turned out they were not legally married. There have been cases where men have left property to their sons, when it has turned out that the person was not really his son…"
"I don't care anything about all that stuff," said Arthur Cartright irritably. "I'm just asking you about this one particular case. It wouldn't make any difference?"
"It wouldn't make any difference," Mason said.
"Well, then," said Cartright, his eyes suddenly cunning. "Suppose that there should be a real Mrs. Clinton Foley. What I mean is, suppose Clinton Foley had been legally married and had never been legally divorced, and I should leave the property to Mrs. Clinton Foley?"
Perry Mason's tone of voice was that of one soothing groundless fears.
"I have explained to you," he said, "that the intention of the testator governs. If you leave your property to the woman who is now residing at that address, as the wife of Clinton Foley, it is all that is necessary. But do I understand that Clinton Foley is living?"
"Of course he's living.