When the eight pairs of heirs are first assembled in Sam Westing's house for the reading of the will (in Chapter 7 entitled "The Westing Game") the first $10,000 checks are distributed. Table #1 is comprised of Madame Sun Lin Hoo and Dr. Jake Wexler. Neither of these people attended the reading of the will, so they automatically forfeited the first check by their absence. Madame Hoo didn't attend because, as her husband pleaded "My wife doesn't even speak English" (33). Dr. Wexler's wife explained that he was performing an "emergency operation", so he was unable to attend. Both of these explanations were probably lies, to some extent. Mr. Hoo probably didn't even inform his wife about the reading of the will, expecting that she couldn't possibly be an heir because she was born and raised in China. Dr. Wexler was probably carrying on his illegal practice of bookmaking (taking illegal bets), and watching a Green Bay Packers football game rather than attending to a medical emergency. Table #1, therefore, did not qualify and "remained moneyless" (Ibid).
Source: Raskin, Ellen. The Westing Game. New York: Avon Books, 1978.
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