Reno | Page 3

state of
mind." However, any person, place or thing that has not its funny side
becomes rather dull, to say the least, and likewise the mind that cannot
appreciate the humorous side. This part consists of a few plain tales
from the humorous side of the lives of departed celebrities of the
divorce colony, and should be amusing and entertaining to any reader.
Naturally fictitious names have been used.
Part 5. Reno and Its People: Is meant to give prospective residents or
visitors an insight as to just what kind of place they may expect to find,
and to dispel any fears that the accommodations would not be
comfortable. It will acquaint newcomers with the kind of men and
women one finds oneself associated with in daily life, which to
strangers in a strange land, is most important, I think. Newly arrived
colonists, perhaps lonely and heartsick, will not find it quite so hard to
go to a strange country, if they know in advance that the people are
generous, big hearted and sympathetic; progressive and interested in all
things that stand for the betterment of humanity.
Part 6. Nevada Divorce Laws: Gives the reader any and all information
required to secure a divorce in Nevada; and besides it contains the
opinion of many great thinkers on the question of divorce, coupled with
a plea for universal divorce law. One should find this an interesting
chapter, whether a prospective colonist or not; its contents, however,
are absolutely indispensable for anyone anticipating divorce in Nevada,
and consequently ought to be read most carefully; more especially so,
as for the actual legal advice in this part, I am greatly indebted to one of
Reno's ablest lawyers, Senator H. Walter Huskey.
Part 7. Sons of the Sagebrush: A few short biographical sketches of
men I met, read about and heard about during my stay in Reno. It is
well to know the kind of men we may come in contact with, both in

business and in a social way; most certainly it is well to know the type
of men we may have to come in contact with in a business way. For
that reason I have written a few little sketches of these men. Among
them are lawyers, judges, mining men, hotel men, politicians and
pioneers. Aside from giving some useful information this part is
interesting for its character studies and its amusing little incidents.
LILYAN STRATTON. November, 1921.
[Illustration: WASHOE COUNTY COURT HOUSE. RENO
NEVADA]

PART 1
SOCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LIFE
Dull in Reno? Why no; how can one be bored in this delightful "big
little city," when here you will find a concentration of all the most
picturesque phases of life--a conglomeration of gaiety and tragedy,
humor and drama, frivolity and learning! What a fertile field for the
psychologist and sociologist.
It is wonderfully interesting not always to turn to books only, with their
rigid, lifeless rules and laws; books can only convey to us the things
someone else has learned! Those who desire a real understanding of
human nature's handiwork must work and play on human mountains, in
human fields and human swamps.
Being an ardent student of life and character, I have found Reno highly
interesting and amusing, and dear reader, if you will do me the honor to
accompany me through the following pages of this chapter, I am sure
you too will be interested.
First we will visit the restaurants, cafes and hotels which are teeming
with the vigor of life, vibrant and pulsating; and if you know and
understand human relationship, or wish to, then you may overflow with
sympathy, laugh in conviviality, or perhaps weep in the privacy of your

own room for what is and for what might have been....
The fashionable restaurant is not a large pretentious place, elaborately
decorated, but there is something in the atmosphere which is not
tangible but which we yet can sense. Who are all these people? and if
each told his own story, how tremendously interesting it might be!
Unconsciously, you know that the atmosphere is distinctive; that things
are different; so many interesting personalities grouped into such a
small place is something most unusual.
Over in the corner is a New York banker; his strong, handsome face
marked with character lines and crowned with white hair: the stamp of
long years of struggle in the financial world. See, he is smiling across
the table at his companion, and his face is almost boyish as he chats
and laughs. Such a companion! I wonder what fate has sent her to cheer
the desert city; a modern Cleopatra, even more beautiful than she of
Egypt: a radiant beauty, this dark-eyed queen of the Orient; ruby lips
and teeth of matched pearls; hair black as midnight, and fires
smoldering