hutt's puzzle dump

Somewhere in the rural American countryside, a man in his mid-thirties lugs a four-wheeled suitcase along an unpaved road. He is protected from the cold by a decent brown jacket, gray sweatpants, and a deerstalker hat. The only building in sight is a two-story rustic hotel. There is an old woman in a simple wooden chair  knitting something  on the front porch; she briefly glances at him as he knocks on the front door. The door is answered a few seconds later by a man between their ages who shivers at the temperature of the atmosphere. The man with the suitcase says, "Do you have a spare room for the night? My car broke down on the side of the road about a mile that way," and he gestures accordingly. The other says, "We normally only take reservations. But... seeing as this is an emergency, we'll see what the innkeeper says. I assume you've tried calling a tow truck." "No service." "I know. It never hurts to try. Can I get your name?" The ...