The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-11-25
why Helen kept a secret?'

Helen really has kept secret, for a
reason which-though this is unreason-
able-makes me love her more than
ever What the secret is 1 don t
know, and why she has kept it I re-
fused to tell my friend; but he liked my
suggestion, and we drew up the puz-
zle thus:
Helen is young, charming, and a
very woman. Claude is almost her
lover. They see much of each other
Yet she has had a secret without re-
vealing it to him. Competitors are in
vited to discover why Helen kept this
secret"
During the first week over hundred
answers were received, all incorrect.
My friend was elated, yet nervous lest
I should be trifing with him. Some
what elated myself (and growing proud
err of Helen with every posD, I then
confided to him why Helen kept the
secret, and the reason struck him as so
obviously the only possible one, that he
gave the competitors this hint:
observe that I have called Helen a
very woman so that she is just like
yourselves. Try, therefore. to imagine
yourselves in her place-with a secret.
Only one thing could make you keep it
from Claude What is that?"
Even then they could not guess. The
competition is now closed. no award
will be made. though 476 answers were
sent in. We have stumped Womankind,
and thanks to me, or rather to my Hell
en- mot quite mine yet, but nearly so),
'Acrostic London has saved his repu-
tation. And yet the answer is so sim
pie!
The general character of the solu-
tons offered may be gathered by sam
ping. According to a number of coma
petitors, Helen kept a secret because it
was discreditable to her One letter
says: 'Her secret was probably of such
a nature as this: she really needed a
larger size than she let on"
The puzzle editor, who understands
the language of young ladies better
than I, translates this into English. 1t
means that Helen is charged with de-
ceiving me as to the size of her gloves.
Competitors with a loftier view of their
sex hold, on the other hand. that Helen
kept the secret from Claude because it
was something that would cause him
pain Being a very woman" writes
ga Wild Briar Bush" Helen would
rather die than give the man she loves
a moments uneasiness."
I rather like that letter. 1t shows "a
Wild Briar Bush has some understand
ing of the agony implied in keeping q
secret. bul II SHOWS lSluI duCC VI I1Gl-
en-.
Some competitors have done their
best to make me uncomfortable. 81
can easily understand" writes 1.-THE
Other Jenny chat Helen would keer
a secret from Claude. Very likely he
gave her a number of presents, which
he bought himself. She pretended to
think them the very things she had
been wanting. while in reality she had
several like them upstairs. However.
not to hurt his feelings, she didn't let
on y Equally unjust to Helen is
'Alackaday" who writes, There is
one secret Helen would naturally keep
from Claude, for is she not described as
a very woman?' 1t is that she has
loved before. Men are so unreasonable
that every Helen has to pretend to
every Claude that she never knew what
love was until she met him. Helen has,
therefore. kept her secret because she
knows what men are" Not content
with this absurd solution, tAlackaday''
adds, "P. S. But let Eiaude be COM