* BMJRYNF AHDJ DH KNAB HK DSJ RCGMDHEZHDJ KJNDZCJ: MFJNBJ BYHP WNFFDAV. GHZ NCJ
TCYQYUV LJ UZDB. — RHUUYJ RHGUT. (How to work it: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW.) (See answer
below.)
When Editor James E. Shelledy put the Cryptogram feature in the paper as a substitute for the Cryptoquote puzzle, the
phone would not stop ringing. Some of the callers were fairly reasonable; some of them were not. A few need anger
management classes. A couple should have their mouths washed out with Fels-Naphtha.
Frankly, I am always fearful of reader reaction when Shelledy is in his office surrounded by page proofs showing new
comics, new features and columns. All hell is about to break loose.
Want to understand how deeply entrenched in habit readers are? Take out a feature, or substitute one for another, then
wait for the telephonic melt down.
My desk set is a molten blob.
And my psyche is battered, having done four or five rounds with Shelledy over the above-mentioned encrypted feature.
Shelledy believes the Cryptoquote is too easy. The readers who have called in believe the Cryptogram is too easy.
Shelledy believes the Cryptogram will bring in new — younger — players.
I simply want to know if I can put my bill for ibuprofen on my expense account. This has given me a pain that stretches
from my head to my toes.
Shelledy agreed on Wednesday he would alternate the Cryptoquote and the Cryptogram features.
This is what we adults call a compromise. It’s how the world works. A half a pie is better than no pie at all. Shelledy
wins half the time and the fanatic Cryptoquote fans win half the time.
Live with it. (A special note to fans of the Cryptoquote feature: Please stop calling. You are driving me nuts. — Connie
Coyne) Need an Escort? Another topic of reader concern that owes its birth to the fact both The Salt Lake Tribune and
Deseret News had to clear their word puzzles and other features out of the now combined classified ad section is the
placement of the escort service and other titillating classifieds that The Trib runs and the Deseret News does not.
They have been placed under the movie listings — a move that has brought threats of cancellation from some readers
who do not want their children perusing them while looking up movie times. Discussion still goes on about this, but keep
calling and giving your opinion on where they should go. I will pass along the suggestions.
Small Clues: When readers looked at the crossword puzzle on Tuesday, they must have wondered if this was a new
featurette for Munchkins. It was smaller than usual. On Wednesday, it was back to the size it was when it ran in the
classified ad section, so people could read the clues and write in the answers without benefit of nano technology. Then, on
Thursday it was small again.
On Friday, it was back to the bigger size.
Sounds like the plot of a sci-fi novel, doesn’t it?
The editor has directed that the Crossword run in the larger size. Think I never advocate for the reader? Think again.
The next problem, of course, is to get the Crossword puzzle anchored on one of the corners of a comic page. The Trib
may be the only paper in the country running it in the middle of the page. One female reader called on Thursday and said,
“I only have one arm. I can manage to fold the paper in half and then in half again, but I’m having real trouble folding it
into ninths.”
No Trump? The Devil, the Reader, the Editor and I had a bridge game this week. The Reader believes he was robbed in
the game. The Editor believes the Reader should feel lucky to be in the game. The Devil loved the dust-up. I was left to
listen to the Reader carp, cajole and threaten.
We probably will not play again.
The deal tells the tale: The Editor dealt himself the ace, 7 and 4 of spades; the 7 of hearts; the 10, 9, 8, 6, and 3 of
diamonds and the 6, 4 and 2 of clubs. I got the king, 6, 3 and 2 of spades; the ace and 6 of hearts; the king, queen, 7 and 2
of diamonds and the queen, 10 and 3 of clubs. The Devil got the queen and 8 of spades; the king, queen, jack, 10, 9 , 8, 5
and 2 of hearts; the ace and 5 of diamonds and the 9 of clubs. The Reader got the jack, 10 and 5 of spades, the 4 and 3 of
hearts, the jack and 4 of diamonds and the ace, king, jack, 8, 7 and 5 of clubs.
The Devil won the bid with 4 hearts.
The play was immaterial to the outcome of the game. Suffice it to say the Devil wanted to put an occasional retail
advertisement on the comic page and it looked as though the Aces on Bridge column would be the one to suffer, since it
was omitted on Thursday.
I was hard-pressed to keep the angry calls from readers straight. But that tiny club suit you had, dear Reader, dwarfed
the Devil’s strength in hearts.
When advertisements run on the comic page in the future, it will be the Wuzzles feature that suffers.
Is the Editor responsive or what?
