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"The Fourth Homonym"
 
1985
Black Widower Mystery
1
 

A business man died without indicating which of his three sons should take over the firm. The family lawyer had asked him as he died whom he wanted and he said something vague that seemed to have no meaning at all, until it is repeated to Henry.

I really don’t think I believe the solution of the puzzle at all. The word said as the man died was "tu", as in "et tu, Brute", as in he wanted his son Brutus to take over. I don’t buy it. No sir, not at all. The word game earlier in the story, trying to find a set of four English homonyms with four distinct spellings and four distinct meanings, is vaguely interesting, however.

Contents
22
Puzzles of the Black Widowers
22
The Asimov Chronicles
 
Review copyright © 1995–2002 by John H. Jenkins. All rights reserved.
Last updated: JHJ