Love Can Be a Puzzling Thing

This is Business?

It came to pass, upon a time, that three chaps on business bound and far from home, shared a hotel suite in a certain city. They were good, alert, bushy-tailed fellows who knew that the best way to be in trim for the morrow's labors was not to go out and get loaded and smoke a lot, but to relax and get some rest. For relaxation, they phoned a girl one of them had relaxed with once before, and this docile doxie came to their rooms, helped them relax, and took $10 from each, or a total of $30.

Now, when the lass got back down to the lobby, conscience smote her. "Anything purchased in quantity should be cheaper than by the piece," she reasoned (ignoring the pun), "so I should really give those chaps a refund, and make them a flat rate of 25 clams." She called the bellboy, gave him five singles, and told him to return this money to her three recent companions as a token of esteem. Then, her conscience clear and her reservoir of good deeds for the day at the flood, she wended her way thither in search of a sociologist in whom she might confide her exemplary behavior. But that, as they say, is another story. Meanwhile, back at the hotel, the bellboy was overcome by avarice and pocketed two of the five dollars. Then he gave each man one dollar.

Thus, the three men, instead of paying $10 a head (or tail), paid nine. Three times nine is 27. The bellboy kept two dollars. That makes 29. What happened to the other dollar?

Yen for a Concubine

In the far away and long ago, i.e., China in the Ping (or is it P'ong?) Dynasty, a not-so-noble lord, fallen on hard times as a result of injudicious betting on the bangtails of the period, decided to recoup his diminished resources until next tax time — when he would be rich again — by leasing his most beautiful concubine to a house of joy for the necessary number of months. The price was three million yen and a bargain, since she would bring five on the open market.

Anyway, the man took the money and the receipt without a backward glance, the cold-blooded louse. He then sold the receipt to another sport of his acquaintance for three million yen, so he now had six million. The new owner of the receipt promptly redeemed the girl, had his way with her, and the next day sold her on the market to still another sport, who yenned for her to the extent of the aforementioned open-market price of five million yen. Thus everyone was happy, what with having tasted certain immemorial joys which are popular to this day, and having acquired a tidy hunk of booty to boot. Except maybe the lady in the case — but in those days that wasn't deemed vital.

Confucius heard about this and did some quick figuring. The first man was six million to the good, the second was two million yen to the good, and that, even in old China, makes eight million. But the girl only cost the last man five.

"How come?" Confucius say. "Whence the other three million?"

Dollars and Centiments

Jack was all excitement as he dressed for his first date with Anette, the most gorgeous girl on the campus and sought after by every man within her rather extended range. He knew it would be expensive to show her, as the saying has it, a good time, but what the hell — he had almost a hundred dollars on him.

On the way to call for her, he stopped at a florist and bought an orchid corsage for $3.00. He took a frugal bus at a cost of 15¢ but when he left her house with her he gallantly took her to a cocktail lounge in a cab, $2.30. The cocktails (two for him and one for her) came to $3.06 with tip and tax.

Dinner for two, soft lights and music, and Jack had to shell out half his balance. But he was out for a big time and, nothing daunted, suggested a night club for dancing, and there went another $16.50. It was raining when they left the club and Jack, no mean man with a dollar, gave half of one to the doorman that hailed a cab. The cab to Anette's house cost an even three bucks.

Next morning, Jack noticed an odd thing. Out of his original stake, he had left exactly as many dollars as he had had cents 'the night before, and exactly as many cents as he had had dollars the night before. How much did he start with?*

Answers to Puzzles on Page 87.

*There's another implicit question which might be asked by prudes who have no romance in their natures: How much did it cost Jack to get home that night? If they must believe he went home after all that spade work, let them assume he walked.

Answers to Puzzles on Page 57

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This is Business? Of the original $30 which changed hands, the lady kept $25, the bellboy $2, the three men $3.

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Yen for a Concubine. The man who redeemed the girl had to pay back three million yen to the owner of the fancy house.

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Dollars and Centiments. Jack started with $92.43, wound up with $43.92.