This Month's Puzzle
Where'd the Money Go?
{One more time ...}

Each month, DownStreet will offer up a puzzle to tease some of those unused brain cells out of hibernation.  Ready?

This month's puzzle -- Where'd the Money Go? -- is something that's been floating around for at least 35 years that we know of.  The amounts used in the puzzle should give that away.  ...  [Note:  OK.  One last time.  We ran this puzzle last month and the month before, with not only no solutions being offered, but no one even trying.  We're going to assume for the moment that it's because DownStreet is still new in the neighborhood and try again.  If no one even comes close, we'll move on to another puzzle with next issue. ... We know.  We said that last month.  But this time we promise to include it among our New Year's resolutions!]

The Puzzle:

Three women go to an overnight conference, but they arrive late at their hotel.  When they check in, the night clerk is already on duty.  He gives them a room for three -- 52B -- and charges them $30 for the night.

In the morning, when the day clerk comes on duty, he checks the register and notices that the three women paid $30, when, in fact, because of special arrangements for a bargain rate made with the conference host, they should have been charged only $25.

At that point, the day clerk calls a bellhop over.  "Listen," he says.  "The women in 52B overpaid.  They were supposed to have been charged the conference rate.  Take this," he says, handing the bellhop a $5 bill, "and give it to them with my apologies."

The bellhop takes the $5 bill and goes to the elevator.  On the way up, he begins to think, in that peculiarly human fashion.  'Listen,' he says to himself.  'This won't work.  I'll give them the $5, but there's no way to split it evenly among three people.  I have a better idea,' at which point, he decides on the following.  

'I'll just keep two dollars for my trouble and give them back three.  That way, they can split it up evenly, and I can make a little on the side.  Besides, they'll be happy.  After all, they're not expecting any money back.'

So the bellhop goes up to 52B, knocks on the door, and when one of the women answer, he hands over three dollars.  "Sorry," he says.  "But you were mistakenly overcharged for the conference."  The woman takes the three dollars, keeps one, and gives each of her other roommates one.  So ...

After receiving $1 apiece back, the women each ended up paying $9 for the room ... which means they paid a total of $27 in all.

The bellhop pocketed $2 for his 'trouble'.

The $27 the women paid plus the $2 the bellhop kept makes $29 total.  ...

What happened to the other dollar?

 

Note:  The magazine only accepts entries for the puzzle while it is in the current issue.

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If you have a puzzle you'd like to submit to our Monthly Puzzle feature, let us know by e-mail at

puzzles@downstreetmagazine.com

We'll look it over and, if we use it, you can receive a small honorarium for your trouble.  {See our Freelancers Wanted page for more info.

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Lou Colasanti, Editor & Laura Wisniewski, Associate Editor
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