THE following conundrums, riddles, etc., are given merely as suggestions. The conundrums most productive of amusement are those made in the course of general conversation. A happy party, in the course of a long and stormy evening, may make more and better ones than are to be found in any one book. If those given here attract the attention and excite the ingenuity of the boys and girls who read them, a great deal of home pleasure will be the result.CONUNDRUMS.1.Ifa man’s son had told a lie, and he wished to order him, in the shortest way possible, to leave him, what Scripture name would he use?2. What relation would a man be to a person he visited in jail, if, on being asked, he said, “Brothers and sisters have I none, yet this man’s father is my father’s son?”3. Why had the children of Israel plenty of food in the desert?4. Why were there plenty of sandwiches in the desert?5. Why is a short negro like a white man?6. Why do we all go to bed?7. Why is a room full of married people like an empty room?8. Why is an angry person like a hard baked loaf of bread?9. When is a door not a door?10. Why is a man in love like a lobster?11. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory?12. Why is a pair of pantaloons too big every way like two populous towns in France?13. You are requested to ask the following question in three letters: “Are you the person?”14. What sea would make the best bedroom?15. Which are ladies most in favor of, tall or short men?16. Why is a speech, delivered on the deck of a man-of-war, like a lady’s necklace?17. Why is the letter D like a sailor?18. Why is grass like a mouse?19. Why is a bald head like heaven?20. What two letters make a County in Massachusetts?21. Why is an angry man like a lady in full dress?22. Why is a good wife like the evil one?23. Why is a good story like a parish bell?24. Why were the brokers of 1857 like Pharaoh’s daughter?25. Why is there but little difference between a light in a cavern and a dance in the hall of a tavern?26. By what three Bible names would a mother call her three sons, in telling them to go home with some young ladies in a carriage? The first she spoke to in an enquiring tone; the second, entreating; the third, commanding?27. Who was the fastest woman in the Bible?28. How did Adam and Eve leave Paradise?29. Why was not Noah a good mouser?30. Why are camel’s hair shawls in this country like a stone deaf person?31. In what way would you ask a Doctor of Divinity to play on a violin, in the shortest possible way?32. Why is an odd walker easiest recognized at his own door?33. Why is the gray hair of a person who has had many trials like a plated spoon?34. Why is a sword like lager beer?ENIGMAS, CHARADES AND RIDDLES.1.My first is a common London cry,My next an insect; now tryTo guess my whole; a clue I’ll give, though slight,It oft emits my first, a glorious sight.2.We are twin brothers, and in vain,We never meet but to complain.3.My first implies to be able,My second is a Christian name which may be read both ways,My whole is in North America.4.My first may be seen, and my second be heard;My whole is the name of a sweet-singing bird.5.By me men often upward go,Behead—a reptile it will show.6.A word of four letters I pray you to take;If that word you follow, ’twill sure make you ache;Just alter that word, and squeeze out one letter;Then follow that word, and ’twill soon make you better.7.My first in every shop is seen,My next affords us light;My total you will see, I ween,When you’ve bade friends good-night.8.My first sounds much like something true,My second sounds much like a lie;But what is spoken like my whole,Let no one venture to deny.9.To a word of consent add one half of a fright,Next subjoin what you never behold in the night;These rightly connected, you’ll quickly obtainWhat millions have seen, but will ne’er see again.10.Found long ago, yet made to-day,Employed while others sleep;What few would wish to give away,And none would wish to keep.11.Two hundred men and women sitting,Talking, reading, sleeping, knitting;Boston, Lynn, Salem, Andover,In, out, under, over;Tugging, hugging, dreaming, screaming,Rain, or snow, or sunshine beaming;Buzz and stir, smoke and hissing,Often ends with hearty kissing.12.My first is to hard-working horses oft spoken;My second, of sudden surprise is a token;My third is a place we shall do well to shun;My fourth is a river, which in Scotland doth run;My half is an order to quit, you will find;My whole is an idol set up by mankind.13.In every hedge my second is,As well as every tree;And when poor school-boys act amiss,It often is their fee.My first, likewise, is always wicked,Yet ne’er committed sin;My total for my first is fitted,Composed of brass or tin.14.My first is a part of the day,My second at feasts overflows;In the cottage my whole is oft seen,To measure old Time as he goes.15.If you a musical instrument behead,A sweeter-toned one will remain behind.16.A shining wit pronounced of lateThat every acting magistrateIs water, in a freezing state.17.In spring, I am gay in my attire;In summer, I wear more clothing than in spring;In winter, I am naked.18.A word of three syllables, seek till you find,That has in it the twenty-six letters combined.19. A lady in prison received an animal, as a present from her niece, which signified to her, “Make your escape.” In reply, she sent back a fruit, which imported, “It is impossible to escape.” What was the animal? and what was the fruit?20. In Sir Walter Scott’s celebrated poem, “Marmion,” are the following lines:—“Charge, Chester! charge! On, Stanley, on!Were the last words of Marmion.”These lines suggested the following enigma:—Were I in noble Stanley’s place,When Marmion urged him to the charge;The word you then might all descryWould bring a tear to every eye.21.Round the house—in the corners,Down the stairs—behind the door!22. I’m reckoned only fifty, but for centuries have been,In every age, in every clime, among the living seen;Mute, though incessantly in talk, I give to silence sound;And single ’tis my fate to be, whilst fast in wedlock bound.The learned place me at their head, tho’ oft unknown to fame,And eloquence itself delights to sound abroad my name;Though plunged in guilt, the tenant of a prison’s gloomy cell,Yet, twice invoked, my potent aid concludes the wizard’s spell.I ride upon the whirlwind—point the lightning thro’ the storm;And mine the power, with but a word, another world to form;I, too, alone, can kindle fame, and, what is very odd,The veriest miser can prevent from making gold his god.I usher in the morning, yet shun the face of day;A stranger to the voice of mirth, yet join in every play.The fabled liquid I, with which poor Tantalus was cursed;For, in the proffered goblet seen, I mock the wretch’s thirst.The rich secure me for their wealth, the cunning for their wiles;And, ’reft of me, ah! changed how soon were beauty’s sweetest smiles!I lurk within the brilliant glance that flashes from her eye,Rest on her ruby lip, and in her laughing dimples lie;I breathe the first soft sound of love, in the maiden’s willing ear,And mingle in the rising blush that tells that love is dear;I lead the laugh, I swell the glee amid the festal hall,But a truant from the banquet, and a laggard in the ball.First in the martial lists I ride, with mail, and lance and shield;And, foremost of the line, I charge upon the battle-field.And yet, though ranked among the bold, I scarcely join the fight;When, foul disgrace to manhood’s race, I turn at once to flight.From greatness thus removed, I make acquaintanceship with evil;And, (in your ear a word) maintain alliance with the devil!23.We are little airy creatures,All of different voice and natures;One of us in glass is set,One of us you’ll find in jet;The other you may see in tin,And the fourth a box within;If the fifth you should pursue,It can never fly from you.24.My parent bred me to the sea,I’ve been where never man could be;Long time I’ve ranged the ocean wide,And all the rage of storms defied;The lowering clouds obscured the sky,And foaming billows mounted high;Tho’ winds with almost fury blew,And thunders roll’d, and lightnings flew;Waves, winds and thunders all in vainOpposed my passage thro’ the main.At length, my parent died, and IOn shore would fain my fortune try;I left the sea, grew fond of show,Dress’d neat, and soon became a beau.My body’s taper, tall and straight,I chiefly dwell among the great;Am like a bridegroom, clad in white,And much the ladies I delight;Attend when Chloe goes to rest,She’s always by my presence blest;No ghost or goblin can she fear,Nor midnight hag, if I am near.No more a seaman, bold and rough,I shine at balls, am fond of snuffTo gay assemblies I repair,And make a brilliant figure there.At last, a burning fever came,That quite dissolved my tender frame;I wasted fast, light-headed grew;Of all my friends, not one I knew;Great drops of sweat ran down my side,And I, alas! by inches died.25.A word there is of plural number,Foe to peace and tranquil slumber;Add but to this the letter S,And though strange the metamorphosis,There soon will meet your wond’ring viewOne syllable transposed to two;Plural is plural now no more,And sweet what bitter was before.26.My first two letters make a man,My three first a woman;My four first letters make a great manMy whole a great woman.27.My first is myself, a very short word;My second’s a puppet, and you are my third.28.Cut off my head, singular I am;Cut off my tail, and plural I appear;Cut off my head and tail, and you will findThat though my body’s left, yet nought is there.What is my head cut off? a sounding sea;What is my tail? a mighty river,Within whose peaceful depths my whole doth play,And parent of sweet sounds is mute forever.29.We left our little ones at home,And whither went we did not know;We for the church’s sake did roam,And lost our lives in doing so.We went right onward on the road,With all the wicked full in view;We lived to man, we died to God,Yet nothing of religion knew.30.My first is a famous watering place in England,My second is a city where a mighty queen did dwell;My whole is the name of a queen famous in ancient history.31.My first gives light to man;My second you’ll find in woman;My third belongs to woman;My whole is a Christian name.32.To run and draw,In peace or war,My first have long been used;And pleased or vex’d,Have, by my next,Been petted and abused:Upon the seas,In many a breeze,My third may oft be seen;My whole is an artKnown in each partWhere my two first have been.33.My whole is that which lightning does,Beheaded, that which horses fear;Behead again, and lo! a tree,A forest tree, will then appear.An Enigmatical Dinner.Dessert.PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.1.A captainof a ship who was driven out to sea by a heavy storm, found he had provisions sufficient for only half his crew, and decided to throw overboard half of them, to be selected by lot. There were twenty men, half of them white, and half black; he placed them all in a circle, saying that every fifth man in three times round should be thrown overboard. He appeared to arrange them carelessly, yet he managed so that the lot fell to the ten black men. How could it be?2.The Wolf, the Goat and the Cabbages.—Suppose a man has a wolf, a goat, and a basket of cabbages, on the bank of a river; he wishes to cross with them, but his boat can only hold one of the three beside himself. He must therefore take them over one by one, in such a manner that the wolf shall have no opportunity to devour the goat, nor the goat the cabbages. How is he to accomplish it?3.The impossibility made possible.—Place three pieces of money on the table and desire some person to take away the piece from the centre without touching it.4. Two men eat oysters together for a wager, to see who could eat the greatest number. One eat ninety-nine only, the other eat a hundred andwon. How many did the winner eat?5. What is the difference between six dozen dozen and a half a dozen dozen?6.Four people sat down one evening to play;They played all that eve, and parted next day.Could you think, when you’re told, as thus they all sat,No other played with them, nor was there one bet;Yet, when they rose up, each gained a guinea,Tho’ none of them lost to the amount of a penny!7. P R S V R Y P R F C T M N V R K P T H S P R C P T S T N. This inscription was affixed to the communion-table of a small church in Wales; no one could decipher it for centuries, but at length the clue has been discovered. What is it?8. Procure six cards, and having ruled them as in the following diagrams, write in the figures neatly and legibly. It is required to tell the number thought of by any person, the numbers being contained in the cards, and not to exceed 60. How is this done?9. Place eight counters or coins, as in the diagram below:It is then required to lay them in four couples, removing only one at a time, and in each removal passing the one in the hand over two on the table.10.The wine Merchant and his Clerk.—A wine merchant caused thirty-two casks of choice wines to be deposited in his cellar, giving orders to his clerk to arrange them as in the annexed figure, so that each external row should contain nine. The clerk, however, took away twelve of them, at three different times—that is, four at each time, yet when the merchant went into the cellar, after each theft had been committed, the clerk always made him count nine in each row. How was this possible?11.man’s family.12. First draw a square and divide it into four parts. Then make six marks in the first square and say they represent six pigs, for you pretend to describe a farmyard you once saw. In the next square make six more marks to represent cows, in the next square six more marks for horses, and the last square represent donkeys.ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.1. An old man married a young woman; their united ages amounted to one hundred. The man’s age, multiplied by four and divided by nine, gives the woman’s age. What were their respective ages?2. How many yards of paper, three-quarters of a yard wide, will cover a chamber that is sixty feet round, and ten feet one and one-half inches high?3. In a family of eight young people, it was agreed that three at a time should visit the Crystal Palace, and that the visit should be repeated each day as long as a different trio could be selected. In how many days were the possible combinations of three out of eight completed?4. How many changes can be given to seven notes of a piano? That is to say, in how many ways can seven keys be struck in succession, so that there shall be some difference in the order of the notes each time?5. At a time when eggs were scarce, an old woman who possessed some good hens, wishing to oblige her friends, sent her daughter with a basket of eggs to three of them; at the first house, which was the squire’s, she left half the number of eggs she had, and half a one over; at the second she left half of what remained and half an egg over; and at the third she again left half of the remainder, and half a one over; she carried home one egg in her basket, not having broken any. How many had she when she started?6. Two drovers, A and B, meeting on the road, began discoursing about the number of sheep they each had. Says B to A, “Pray give me one of your sheep and I will have as many as you.” “Nay,” replied A, “but give me one of your sheep and I will have as many again as you.” Required to know the number of sheep they each had?7. To tell at what hour a person intends to rise. Let the person set the hand of the dial of a watch at any hour he pleases, and tell you what that hour is; and to the number of that hour you add in your mind twelve; then tell him to count privately the number of that amount upon the dial, beginning with the next hour to that on which he proposes to rise, and counting backwards, first reckoning the number of the hour at which he has placed the hand. How is it done?“The Two Travelers.”8.Two travelers trudged along the road together,Talking, as Yankees do, about the weather;When, lo! beside their path the foremost spiesThree casks, and loud exclaims, “A prize, a prize!”One large, two small, but all of various size.This way and that they gazed, and all around,Each wondering if an owner might be found.But not a soul was there—the coast was clear—So to the barrels they at once drew near;And both agree, whatever may be there,In friendly partnership they’ll fairly share.Two they found empty, but the other full,And straightway from his pocket one doth pullA large clasp-knife; a heavy stone lay handy,And thus in time they found their prize was brandy.’Tis tasted and approved; their lips they smack,And each pronounces ’tis the famous Cognac.“Wont we have many a jolly night, my boy?May no ill luck our present hopes destroy!”’Twas fortunate one knew the mathematics,And had a smattering of hydrostatics;Then measured he the casks, and said, “I seeThis is eight gallons—those are five, and three.”The question then was how they might divideThe brandy, so that each should be suppliedWith just four gallons, neither less nor more,With eight, and five and three, they puzzle sore;Filled up the five, filled up the three, in vain.At length a happy thought came o’er the brainOf one; ’twas done, and each went home content,And their good dames declared ’twas excellent.With those three casks they made division true;I found the puzzle out; say, friend, can you?9.“To five and five and fifty-fiveThe first of letters add;It is a thing that pleased a king,And made a wise man mad.”10.“The sum of four figures in value will beAbove seven thousand nine hundred and three;But when they are halved you’ll find, very fair,The sum will be nothing, in truth, I declare.”ANSWERS TO CONUNDRUMS.1.Goliah.2. He was his own son.3. Because of the sand which is (sandwiches) there.4. Because the children of Ham were bred (bread) and mustered (mustard) there.5. He is not at all black (a tall black).6. The bed will not come to us.7. There is not a single person in it.8. He is crusty.9. When it is ajar.10. He had a lady in his head.11. He is always forgetting (for-getting).12. Because they are too long and too loose (Toulon and Toolouse).13. R U E (are you he).14. Adriatic (a dry attic).15. Hymen.16. It is a deck oration (decoration).17. It follows the sea (C).18. The cat’ll eat it (the cattle eat it).19. There is no parting there.20. S X (Essex).21. He is ruffled.22. She sows tares while the husbandman sleeps.23. It is often told (tolled).24. Because they found little profit (prophet) in the rushes on the banks.25. Because one is a taper in a cavern, the other a caper in a tavern.26. Jeroboam, Samuel, Benjamin (Jerry beau ’em; Sam you will; Ben jam in).27. Herodias’ daughter, because she got ahead of John the Baptist on a charger.28. They were snaked out.29. It took him forty days and nights to find Ara-rat.30. Because we can not make them here (hear).31. Fiddle-de-dee (Fiddle D D).32. Because he is best known by his gait (gate).33. “Its silvered o’er with care.”34. Because it cannot be used till it is drawn.ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS AND CHARADES.1. Fire-fly.2. Mur-mur.3. Canada.4. Sky-lark.5. Ladder—adder.6. Fast—Feast.7. Counter-pane.8. Truly.9. Yesterday.10. A bed.11. Railway train.12. Gold.13. Candle-stick.14. Hour-glass.15. Flute.16. Justice, (just-ice.)17. A tree.18. Alphabet.19. The animal sent was an antelope, (aunt elope!) the fruit returned was a cantelope (can’t elope.)20. On I on, (onion.)21. Broom.22. The letter L.23. The vowels.24. A spermaceti candle.25. Cares—s.26. Heroine.27. Idol.28. Cod.29. The kine that bore the ark. 1 Samuel, vi., 10, 12, 14.30. Bathsheba.31. Solomon.32. Horse-man-ship.33. Flash.Answer to Enigmatical Dinner.1. Turkey.2. Parsnips.3. Hare, (hair.)4. Dandelion, (dandy-lion.)5. Lamb.6. Mint-sauce.7. Tongue.8. Mangoes.9. Potatoes.10. Ham.11. Cabbage.Dessert.1. Ice cream.2. Maderia, (wine.)3. Whips.4. Champagne, (sham-pain.)5. Punch.6. Brandy.7. Pine-apples.8. Hock.9. Pears.10. Trifle.11. Currants.ANSWERS TO PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.1. The secret of the puzzle is to arrange the men by a simple formula; take the sentence, “A gray owl did eat a snake,” and arrange them with checkers, the vowels all black, the consonants white. You will then see by taking away every fifth one, three times round, those left will be all white.2. First take over the goat, the next time the wolf; leaving the wolf he must bring back the goat and leave it, then take the cabbages, and going back once more he takes the goat. Thus the wolf will never be left with the goat, nor the goat with the cabbages.3. If the secret be not discovered, remove one of the end pieces to the other side, thus you take away the piece from the centre without touching it.4. One hundred.5. 792; six dozen dozen being 864, and a half a dozen dozen 72.6.Four merry fiddlers played all nightTo many a dancing ninny;And the next morning went away,And each received a guinea.7.Persevere ye perfect men,Ever keep these precepts ten.It was discovered that by using the vowel E this couplet was formed.8. Request the person to give you all the cards containing the number he has fixed upon, and then add all the right hand upper corner figures together, which will give the correct answer. For example: suppose 10 is the number thought of, the cards with 2 and 8 in the corners will be given, which makes the answer 10.9. Place 4 on 7, 6 on 2, 1 on 3, and 8 on 5, or 5 on 2, 3 on 7, 8 on 6, 4 on 1, &c.10. The clerk arranged them thus:11. Be above meddling in a man’s family.12. In the last square you must only make five marks, and then ask the one you are talking to, to count and see if all are right; if you do it carelessly and he is off his guard he will probably say “one of the donkeys are wanting.” You then must slily say, “If you’ll jump in, all will be right.” Such simple “sells” often cause a good laugh.ANSWERS TO ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.1. The man’s age was 69 years and 12 weeks. The woman’s, 30 years and 40 weeks.2. 90 yards.3. Multiply 8 × 7 × 6, and also 3 × 2 × 1, and divide the product of the former, 336, by the product of the latter, 6, the result is 56, the number of visits, a different two going each time.4. 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, result is 5,040, the number of changes.5. 15 eggs.6. A had seven and B had five sheep.7. Suppose the hour he intends to rise be 8, and that he has placed the hand at 5; you will add 12 to 5 and tell him to count 17 on the dial first reckoning 5, the hour at which the index stands, and counting backwards from the hour at which he intends to rise; and the number, 17, will necessarily end at 8, which shows that to be the hour he chose to rise.8. The five-gallon barrel was filled first, and from that the three-gallon barrel, thus leaving two gallons in the five-gallon barrel; the three-gallon barrel was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel, and the two gallons poured from the five-gallon barrel into the empty three-gallon barrel; the five-gallon barrel was then filled, and one gallon poured into the three-gallon barrel, therefore leaving four gallons in the five-gallon barrel, one gallon in the eight-gallon barrel, and three gallons in the three-gallon barrel, which was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel. Thus each person had four gallons of brandy in the eight and five-gallon barrels respectively.9. This puzzle has as yet no answer. I trust some of thereaders of this book will be able to send us a correct answer. It most surely can be ascertained, as there is a way to solve it.10. The four figures are 8 8 8 8, which being divided by a line drawn through the middle, become ̶8̶8̶8̶8̶ . The sum of which is eight 0s, or nothing.
THE following conundrums, riddles, etc., are given merely as suggestions. The conundrums most productive of amusement are those made in the course of general conversation. A happy party, in the course of a long and stormy evening, may make more and better ones than are to be found in any one book. If those given here attract the attention and excite the ingenuity of the boys and girls who read them, a great deal of home pleasure will be the result.CONUNDRUMS.1.Ifa man’s son had told a lie, and he wished to order him, in the shortest way possible, to leave him, what Scripture name would he use?2. What relation would a man be to a person he visited in jail, if, on being asked, he said, “Brothers and sisters have I none, yet this man’s father is my father’s son?”3. Why had the children of Israel plenty of food in the desert?4. Why were there plenty of sandwiches in the desert?5. Why is a short negro like a white man?6. Why do we all go to bed?7. Why is a room full of married people like an empty room?8. Why is an angry person like a hard baked loaf of bread?9. When is a door not a door?10. Why is a man in love like a lobster?11. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory?12. Why is a pair of pantaloons too big every way like two populous towns in France?13. You are requested to ask the following question in three letters: “Are you the person?”14. What sea would make the best bedroom?15. Which are ladies most in favor of, tall or short men?16. Why is a speech, delivered on the deck of a man-of-war, like a lady’s necklace?17. Why is the letter D like a sailor?18. Why is grass like a mouse?19. Why is a bald head like heaven?20. What two letters make a County in Massachusetts?21. Why is an angry man like a lady in full dress?22. Why is a good wife like the evil one?23. Why is a good story like a parish bell?24. Why were the brokers of 1857 like Pharaoh’s daughter?25. Why is there but little difference between a light in a cavern and a dance in the hall of a tavern?26. By what three Bible names would a mother call her three sons, in telling them to go home with some young ladies in a carriage? The first she spoke to in an enquiring tone; the second, entreating; the third, commanding?27. Who was the fastest woman in the Bible?28. How did Adam and Eve leave Paradise?29. Why was not Noah a good mouser?30. Why are camel’s hair shawls in this country like a stone deaf person?31. In what way would you ask a Doctor of Divinity to play on a violin, in the shortest possible way?32. Why is an odd walker easiest recognized at his own door?33. Why is the gray hair of a person who has had many trials like a plated spoon?34. Why is a sword like lager beer?ENIGMAS, CHARADES AND RIDDLES.1.My first is a common London cry,My next an insect; now tryTo guess my whole; a clue I’ll give, though slight,It oft emits my first, a glorious sight.2.We are twin brothers, and in vain,We never meet but to complain.3.My first implies to be able,My second is a Christian name which may be read both ways,My whole is in North America.4.My first may be seen, and my second be heard;My whole is the name of a sweet-singing bird.5.By me men often upward go,Behead—a reptile it will show.6.A word of four letters I pray you to take;If that word you follow, ’twill sure make you ache;Just alter that word, and squeeze out one letter;Then follow that word, and ’twill soon make you better.7.My first in every shop is seen,My next affords us light;My total you will see, I ween,When you’ve bade friends good-night.8.My first sounds much like something true,My second sounds much like a lie;But what is spoken like my whole,Let no one venture to deny.9.To a word of consent add one half of a fright,Next subjoin what you never behold in the night;These rightly connected, you’ll quickly obtainWhat millions have seen, but will ne’er see again.10.Found long ago, yet made to-day,Employed while others sleep;What few would wish to give away,And none would wish to keep.11.Two hundred men and women sitting,Talking, reading, sleeping, knitting;Boston, Lynn, Salem, Andover,In, out, under, over;Tugging, hugging, dreaming, screaming,Rain, or snow, or sunshine beaming;Buzz and stir, smoke and hissing,Often ends with hearty kissing.12.My first is to hard-working horses oft spoken;My second, of sudden surprise is a token;My third is a place we shall do well to shun;My fourth is a river, which in Scotland doth run;My half is an order to quit, you will find;My whole is an idol set up by mankind.13.In every hedge my second is,As well as every tree;And when poor school-boys act amiss,It often is their fee.My first, likewise, is always wicked,Yet ne’er committed sin;My total for my first is fitted,Composed of brass or tin.14.My first is a part of the day,My second at feasts overflows;In the cottage my whole is oft seen,To measure old Time as he goes.15.If you a musical instrument behead,A sweeter-toned one will remain behind.16.A shining wit pronounced of lateThat every acting magistrateIs water, in a freezing state.17.In spring, I am gay in my attire;In summer, I wear more clothing than in spring;In winter, I am naked.18.A word of three syllables, seek till you find,That has in it the twenty-six letters combined.19. A lady in prison received an animal, as a present from her niece, which signified to her, “Make your escape.” In reply, she sent back a fruit, which imported, “It is impossible to escape.” What was the animal? and what was the fruit?20. In Sir Walter Scott’s celebrated poem, “Marmion,” are the following lines:—“Charge, Chester! charge! On, Stanley, on!Were the last words of Marmion.”These lines suggested the following enigma:—Were I in noble Stanley’s place,When Marmion urged him to the charge;The word you then might all descryWould bring a tear to every eye.21.Round the house—in the corners,Down the stairs—behind the door!22. I’m reckoned only fifty, but for centuries have been,In every age, in every clime, among the living seen;Mute, though incessantly in talk, I give to silence sound;And single ’tis my fate to be, whilst fast in wedlock bound.The learned place me at their head, tho’ oft unknown to fame,And eloquence itself delights to sound abroad my name;Though plunged in guilt, the tenant of a prison’s gloomy cell,Yet, twice invoked, my potent aid concludes the wizard’s spell.I ride upon the whirlwind—point the lightning thro’ the storm;And mine the power, with but a word, another world to form;I, too, alone, can kindle fame, and, what is very odd,The veriest miser can prevent from making gold his god.I usher in the morning, yet shun the face of day;A stranger to the voice of mirth, yet join in every play.The fabled liquid I, with which poor Tantalus was cursed;For, in the proffered goblet seen, I mock the wretch’s thirst.The rich secure me for their wealth, the cunning for their wiles;And, ’reft of me, ah! changed how soon were beauty’s sweetest smiles!I lurk within the brilliant glance that flashes from her eye,Rest on her ruby lip, and in her laughing dimples lie;I breathe the first soft sound of love, in the maiden’s willing ear,And mingle in the rising blush that tells that love is dear;I lead the laugh, I swell the glee amid the festal hall,But a truant from the banquet, and a laggard in the ball.First in the martial lists I ride, with mail, and lance and shield;And, foremost of the line, I charge upon the battle-field.And yet, though ranked among the bold, I scarcely join the fight;When, foul disgrace to manhood’s race, I turn at once to flight.From greatness thus removed, I make acquaintanceship with evil;And, (in your ear a word) maintain alliance with the devil!23.We are little airy creatures,All of different voice and natures;One of us in glass is set,One of us you’ll find in jet;The other you may see in tin,And the fourth a box within;If the fifth you should pursue,It can never fly from you.24.My parent bred me to the sea,I’ve been where never man could be;Long time I’ve ranged the ocean wide,And all the rage of storms defied;The lowering clouds obscured the sky,And foaming billows mounted high;Tho’ winds with almost fury blew,And thunders roll’d, and lightnings flew;Waves, winds and thunders all in vainOpposed my passage thro’ the main.At length, my parent died, and IOn shore would fain my fortune try;I left the sea, grew fond of show,Dress’d neat, and soon became a beau.My body’s taper, tall and straight,I chiefly dwell among the great;Am like a bridegroom, clad in white,And much the ladies I delight;Attend when Chloe goes to rest,She’s always by my presence blest;No ghost or goblin can she fear,Nor midnight hag, if I am near.No more a seaman, bold and rough,I shine at balls, am fond of snuffTo gay assemblies I repair,And make a brilliant figure there.At last, a burning fever came,That quite dissolved my tender frame;I wasted fast, light-headed grew;Of all my friends, not one I knew;Great drops of sweat ran down my side,And I, alas! by inches died.25.A word there is of plural number,Foe to peace and tranquil slumber;Add but to this the letter S,And though strange the metamorphosis,There soon will meet your wond’ring viewOne syllable transposed to two;Plural is plural now no more,And sweet what bitter was before.26.My first two letters make a man,My three first a woman;My four first letters make a great manMy whole a great woman.27.My first is myself, a very short word;My second’s a puppet, and you are my third.28.Cut off my head, singular I am;Cut off my tail, and plural I appear;Cut off my head and tail, and you will findThat though my body’s left, yet nought is there.What is my head cut off? a sounding sea;What is my tail? a mighty river,Within whose peaceful depths my whole doth play,And parent of sweet sounds is mute forever.29.We left our little ones at home,And whither went we did not know;We for the church’s sake did roam,And lost our lives in doing so.We went right onward on the road,With all the wicked full in view;We lived to man, we died to God,Yet nothing of religion knew.30.My first is a famous watering place in England,My second is a city where a mighty queen did dwell;My whole is the name of a queen famous in ancient history.31.My first gives light to man;My second you’ll find in woman;My third belongs to woman;My whole is a Christian name.32.To run and draw,In peace or war,My first have long been used;And pleased or vex’d,Have, by my next,Been petted and abused:Upon the seas,In many a breeze,My third may oft be seen;My whole is an artKnown in each partWhere my two first have been.33.My whole is that which lightning does,Beheaded, that which horses fear;Behead again, and lo! a tree,A forest tree, will then appear.An Enigmatical Dinner.Dessert.PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.1.A captainof a ship who was driven out to sea by a heavy storm, found he had provisions sufficient for only half his crew, and decided to throw overboard half of them, to be selected by lot. There were twenty men, half of them white, and half black; he placed them all in a circle, saying that every fifth man in three times round should be thrown overboard. He appeared to arrange them carelessly, yet he managed so that the lot fell to the ten black men. How could it be?2.The Wolf, the Goat and the Cabbages.—Suppose a man has a wolf, a goat, and a basket of cabbages, on the bank of a river; he wishes to cross with them, but his boat can only hold one of the three beside himself. He must therefore take them over one by one, in such a manner that the wolf shall have no opportunity to devour the goat, nor the goat the cabbages. How is he to accomplish it?3.The impossibility made possible.—Place three pieces of money on the table and desire some person to take away the piece from the centre without touching it.4. Two men eat oysters together for a wager, to see who could eat the greatest number. One eat ninety-nine only, the other eat a hundred andwon. How many did the winner eat?5. What is the difference between six dozen dozen and a half a dozen dozen?6.Four people sat down one evening to play;They played all that eve, and parted next day.Could you think, when you’re told, as thus they all sat,No other played with them, nor was there one bet;Yet, when they rose up, each gained a guinea,Tho’ none of them lost to the amount of a penny!7. P R S V R Y P R F C T M N V R K P T H S P R C P T S T N. This inscription was affixed to the communion-table of a small church in Wales; no one could decipher it for centuries, but at length the clue has been discovered. What is it?8. Procure six cards, and having ruled them as in the following diagrams, write in the figures neatly and legibly. It is required to tell the number thought of by any person, the numbers being contained in the cards, and not to exceed 60. How is this done?9. Place eight counters or coins, as in the diagram below:It is then required to lay them in four couples, removing only one at a time, and in each removal passing the one in the hand over two on the table.10.The wine Merchant and his Clerk.—A wine merchant caused thirty-two casks of choice wines to be deposited in his cellar, giving orders to his clerk to arrange them as in the annexed figure, so that each external row should contain nine. The clerk, however, took away twelve of them, at three different times—that is, four at each time, yet when the merchant went into the cellar, after each theft had been committed, the clerk always made him count nine in each row. How was this possible?11.man’s family.12. First draw a square and divide it into four parts. Then make six marks in the first square and say they represent six pigs, for you pretend to describe a farmyard you once saw. In the next square make six more marks to represent cows, in the next square six more marks for horses, and the last square represent donkeys.ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.1. An old man married a young woman; their united ages amounted to one hundred. The man’s age, multiplied by four and divided by nine, gives the woman’s age. What were their respective ages?2. How many yards of paper, three-quarters of a yard wide, will cover a chamber that is sixty feet round, and ten feet one and one-half inches high?3. In a family of eight young people, it was agreed that three at a time should visit the Crystal Palace, and that the visit should be repeated each day as long as a different trio could be selected. In how many days were the possible combinations of three out of eight completed?4. How many changes can be given to seven notes of a piano? That is to say, in how many ways can seven keys be struck in succession, so that there shall be some difference in the order of the notes each time?5. At a time when eggs were scarce, an old woman who possessed some good hens, wishing to oblige her friends, sent her daughter with a basket of eggs to three of them; at the first house, which was the squire’s, she left half the number of eggs she had, and half a one over; at the second she left half of what remained and half an egg over; and at the third she again left half of the remainder, and half a one over; she carried home one egg in her basket, not having broken any. How many had she when she started?6. Two drovers, A and B, meeting on the road, began discoursing about the number of sheep they each had. Says B to A, “Pray give me one of your sheep and I will have as many as you.” “Nay,” replied A, “but give me one of your sheep and I will have as many again as you.” Required to know the number of sheep they each had?7. To tell at what hour a person intends to rise. Let the person set the hand of the dial of a watch at any hour he pleases, and tell you what that hour is; and to the number of that hour you add in your mind twelve; then tell him to count privately the number of that amount upon the dial, beginning with the next hour to that on which he proposes to rise, and counting backwards, first reckoning the number of the hour at which he has placed the hand. How is it done?“The Two Travelers.”8.Two travelers trudged along the road together,Talking, as Yankees do, about the weather;When, lo! beside their path the foremost spiesThree casks, and loud exclaims, “A prize, a prize!”One large, two small, but all of various size.This way and that they gazed, and all around,Each wondering if an owner might be found.But not a soul was there—the coast was clear—So to the barrels they at once drew near;And both agree, whatever may be there,In friendly partnership they’ll fairly share.Two they found empty, but the other full,And straightway from his pocket one doth pullA large clasp-knife; a heavy stone lay handy,And thus in time they found their prize was brandy.’Tis tasted and approved; their lips they smack,And each pronounces ’tis the famous Cognac.“Wont we have many a jolly night, my boy?May no ill luck our present hopes destroy!”’Twas fortunate one knew the mathematics,And had a smattering of hydrostatics;Then measured he the casks, and said, “I seeThis is eight gallons—those are five, and three.”The question then was how they might divideThe brandy, so that each should be suppliedWith just four gallons, neither less nor more,With eight, and five and three, they puzzle sore;Filled up the five, filled up the three, in vain.At length a happy thought came o’er the brainOf one; ’twas done, and each went home content,And their good dames declared ’twas excellent.With those three casks they made division true;I found the puzzle out; say, friend, can you?9.“To five and five and fifty-fiveThe first of letters add;It is a thing that pleased a king,And made a wise man mad.”10.“The sum of four figures in value will beAbove seven thousand nine hundred and three;But when they are halved you’ll find, very fair,The sum will be nothing, in truth, I declare.”ANSWERS TO CONUNDRUMS.1.Goliah.2. He was his own son.3. Because of the sand which is (sandwiches) there.4. Because the children of Ham were bred (bread) and mustered (mustard) there.5. He is not at all black (a tall black).6. The bed will not come to us.7. There is not a single person in it.8. He is crusty.9. When it is ajar.10. He had a lady in his head.11. He is always forgetting (for-getting).12. Because they are too long and too loose (Toulon and Toolouse).13. R U E (are you he).14. Adriatic (a dry attic).15. Hymen.16. It is a deck oration (decoration).17. It follows the sea (C).18. The cat’ll eat it (the cattle eat it).19. There is no parting there.20. S X (Essex).21. He is ruffled.22. She sows tares while the husbandman sleeps.23. It is often told (tolled).24. Because they found little profit (prophet) in the rushes on the banks.25. Because one is a taper in a cavern, the other a caper in a tavern.26. Jeroboam, Samuel, Benjamin (Jerry beau ’em; Sam you will; Ben jam in).27. Herodias’ daughter, because she got ahead of John the Baptist on a charger.28. They were snaked out.29. It took him forty days and nights to find Ara-rat.30. Because we can not make them here (hear).31. Fiddle-de-dee (Fiddle D D).32. Because he is best known by his gait (gate).33. “Its silvered o’er with care.”34. Because it cannot be used till it is drawn.ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS AND CHARADES.1. Fire-fly.2. Mur-mur.3. Canada.4. Sky-lark.5. Ladder—adder.6. Fast—Feast.7. Counter-pane.8. Truly.9. Yesterday.10. A bed.11. Railway train.12. Gold.13. Candle-stick.14. Hour-glass.15. Flute.16. Justice, (just-ice.)17. A tree.18. Alphabet.19. The animal sent was an antelope, (aunt elope!) the fruit returned was a cantelope (can’t elope.)20. On I on, (onion.)21. Broom.22. The letter L.23. The vowels.24. A spermaceti candle.25. Cares—s.26. Heroine.27. Idol.28. Cod.29. The kine that bore the ark. 1 Samuel, vi., 10, 12, 14.30. Bathsheba.31. Solomon.32. Horse-man-ship.33. Flash.Answer to Enigmatical Dinner.1. Turkey.2. Parsnips.3. Hare, (hair.)4. Dandelion, (dandy-lion.)5. Lamb.6. Mint-sauce.7. Tongue.8. Mangoes.9. Potatoes.10. Ham.11. Cabbage.Dessert.1. Ice cream.2. Maderia, (wine.)3. Whips.4. Champagne, (sham-pain.)5. Punch.6. Brandy.7. Pine-apples.8. Hock.9. Pears.10. Trifle.11. Currants.ANSWERS TO PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.1. The secret of the puzzle is to arrange the men by a simple formula; take the sentence, “A gray owl did eat a snake,” and arrange them with checkers, the vowels all black, the consonants white. You will then see by taking away every fifth one, three times round, those left will be all white.2. First take over the goat, the next time the wolf; leaving the wolf he must bring back the goat and leave it, then take the cabbages, and going back once more he takes the goat. Thus the wolf will never be left with the goat, nor the goat with the cabbages.3. If the secret be not discovered, remove one of the end pieces to the other side, thus you take away the piece from the centre without touching it.4. One hundred.5. 792; six dozen dozen being 864, and a half a dozen dozen 72.6.Four merry fiddlers played all nightTo many a dancing ninny;And the next morning went away,And each received a guinea.7.Persevere ye perfect men,Ever keep these precepts ten.It was discovered that by using the vowel E this couplet was formed.8. Request the person to give you all the cards containing the number he has fixed upon, and then add all the right hand upper corner figures together, which will give the correct answer. For example: suppose 10 is the number thought of, the cards with 2 and 8 in the corners will be given, which makes the answer 10.9. Place 4 on 7, 6 on 2, 1 on 3, and 8 on 5, or 5 on 2, 3 on 7, 8 on 6, 4 on 1, &c.10. The clerk arranged them thus:11. Be above meddling in a man’s family.12. In the last square you must only make five marks, and then ask the one you are talking to, to count and see if all are right; if you do it carelessly and he is off his guard he will probably say “one of the donkeys are wanting.” You then must slily say, “If you’ll jump in, all will be right.” Such simple “sells” often cause a good laugh.ANSWERS TO ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.1. The man’s age was 69 years and 12 weeks. The woman’s, 30 years and 40 weeks.2. 90 yards.3. Multiply 8 × 7 × 6, and also 3 × 2 × 1, and divide the product of the former, 336, by the product of the latter, 6, the result is 56, the number of visits, a different two going each time.4. 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, result is 5,040, the number of changes.5. 15 eggs.6. A had seven and B had five sheep.7. Suppose the hour he intends to rise be 8, and that he has placed the hand at 5; you will add 12 to 5 and tell him to count 17 on the dial first reckoning 5, the hour at which the index stands, and counting backwards from the hour at which he intends to rise; and the number, 17, will necessarily end at 8, which shows that to be the hour he chose to rise.8. The five-gallon barrel was filled first, and from that the three-gallon barrel, thus leaving two gallons in the five-gallon barrel; the three-gallon barrel was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel, and the two gallons poured from the five-gallon barrel into the empty three-gallon barrel; the five-gallon barrel was then filled, and one gallon poured into the three-gallon barrel, therefore leaving four gallons in the five-gallon barrel, one gallon in the eight-gallon barrel, and three gallons in the three-gallon barrel, which was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel. Thus each person had four gallons of brandy in the eight and five-gallon barrels respectively.9. This puzzle has as yet no answer. I trust some of thereaders of this book will be able to send us a correct answer. It most surely can be ascertained, as there is a way to solve it.10. The four figures are 8 8 8 8, which being divided by a line drawn through the middle, become ̶8̶8̶8̶8̶ . The sum of which is eight 0s, or nothing.
THE following conundrums, riddles, etc., are given merely as suggestions. The conundrums most productive of amusement are those made in the course of general conversation. A happy party, in the course of a long and stormy evening, may make more and better ones than are to be found in any one book. If those given here attract the attention and excite the ingenuity of the boys and girls who read them, a great deal of home pleasure will be the result.
CONUNDRUMS.
1.Ifa man’s son had told a lie, and he wished to order him, in the shortest way possible, to leave him, what Scripture name would he use?
2. What relation would a man be to a person he visited in jail, if, on being asked, he said, “Brothers and sisters have I none, yet this man’s father is my father’s son?”
3. Why had the children of Israel plenty of food in the desert?
4. Why were there plenty of sandwiches in the desert?
5. Why is a short negro like a white man?
6. Why do we all go to bed?
7. Why is a room full of married people like an empty room?
8. Why is an angry person like a hard baked loaf of bread?
9. When is a door not a door?
10. Why is a man in love like a lobster?
11. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory?
12. Why is a pair of pantaloons too big every way like two populous towns in France?
13. You are requested to ask the following question in three letters: “Are you the person?”
14. What sea would make the best bedroom?
15. Which are ladies most in favor of, tall or short men?
16. Why is a speech, delivered on the deck of a man-of-war, like a lady’s necklace?
17. Why is the letter D like a sailor?
18. Why is grass like a mouse?
19. Why is a bald head like heaven?
20. What two letters make a County in Massachusetts?
21. Why is an angry man like a lady in full dress?
22. Why is a good wife like the evil one?
23. Why is a good story like a parish bell?
24. Why were the brokers of 1857 like Pharaoh’s daughter?
25. Why is there but little difference between a light in a cavern and a dance in the hall of a tavern?
26. By what three Bible names would a mother call her three sons, in telling them to go home with some young ladies in a carriage? The first she spoke to in an enquiring tone; the second, entreating; the third, commanding?
27. Who was the fastest woman in the Bible?
28. How did Adam and Eve leave Paradise?
29. Why was not Noah a good mouser?
30. Why are camel’s hair shawls in this country like a stone deaf person?
31. In what way would you ask a Doctor of Divinity to play on a violin, in the shortest possible way?
32. Why is an odd walker easiest recognized at his own door?
33. Why is the gray hair of a person who has had many trials like a plated spoon?
34. Why is a sword like lager beer?
ENIGMAS, CHARADES AND RIDDLES.
19. A lady in prison received an animal, as a present from her niece, which signified to her, “Make your escape.” In reply, she sent back a fruit, which imported, “It is impossible to escape.” What was the animal? and what was the fruit?
20. In Sir Walter Scott’s celebrated poem, “Marmion,” are the following lines:—
“Charge, Chester! charge! On, Stanley, on!Were the last words of Marmion.”
These lines suggested the following enigma:—
Were I in noble Stanley’s place,When Marmion urged him to the charge;The word you then might all descryWould bring a tear to every eye.
22. I’m reckoned only fifty, but for centuries have been,In every age, in every clime, among the living seen;Mute, though incessantly in talk, I give to silence sound;And single ’tis my fate to be, whilst fast in wedlock bound.The learned place me at their head, tho’ oft unknown to fame,And eloquence itself delights to sound abroad my name;Though plunged in guilt, the tenant of a prison’s gloomy cell,Yet, twice invoked, my potent aid concludes the wizard’s spell.I ride upon the whirlwind—point the lightning thro’ the storm;And mine the power, with but a word, another world to form;I, too, alone, can kindle fame, and, what is very odd,The veriest miser can prevent from making gold his god.I usher in the morning, yet shun the face of day;A stranger to the voice of mirth, yet join in every play.The fabled liquid I, with which poor Tantalus was cursed;For, in the proffered goblet seen, I mock the wretch’s thirst.The rich secure me for their wealth, the cunning for their wiles;And, ’reft of me, ah! changed how soon were beauty’s sweetest smiles!I lurk within the brilliant glance that flashes from her eye,Rest on her ruby lip, and in her laughing dimples lie;I breathe the first soft sound of love, in the maiden’s willing ear,And mingle in the rising blush that tells that love is dear;I lead the laugh, I swell the glee amid the festal hall,But a truant from the banquet, and a laggard in the ball.First in the martial lists I ride, with mail, and lance and shield;And, foremost of the line, I charge upon the battle-field.And yet, though ranked among the bold, I scarcely join the fight;When, foul disgrace to manhood’s race, I turn at once to flight.From greatness thus removed, I make acquaintanceship with evil;And, (in your ear a word) maintain alliance with the devil!
An Enigmatical Dinner.
Dessert.
PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.
1.A captainof a ship who was driven out to sea by a heavy storm, found he had provisions sufficient for only half his crew, and decided to throw overboard half of them, to be selected by lot. There were twenty men, half of them white, and half black; he placed them all in a circle, saying that every fifth man in three times round should be thrown overboard. He appeared to arrange them carelessly, yet he managed so that the lot fell to the ten black men. How could it be?
2.The Wolf, the Goat and the Cabbages.—Suppose a man has a wolf, a goat, and a basket of cabbages, on the bank of a river; he wishes to cross with them, but his boat can only hold one of the three beside himself. He must therefore take them over one by one, in such a manner that the wolf shall have no opportunity to devour the goat, nor the goat the cabbages. How is he to accomplish it?
3.The impossibility made possible.—Place three pieces of money on the table and desire some person to take away the piece from the centre without touching it.
4. Two men eat oysters together for a wager, to see who could eat the greatest number. One eat ninety-nine only, the other eat a hundred andwon. How many did the winner eat?
5. What is the difference between six dozen dozen and a half a dozen dozen?
7. P R S V R Y P R F C T M N V R K P T H S P R C P T S T N. This inscription was affixed to the communion-table of a small church in Wales; no one could decipher it for centuries, but at length the clue has been discovered. What is it?
8. Procure six cards, and having ruled them as in the following diagrams, write in the figures neatly and legibly. It is required to tell the number thought of by any person, the numbers being contained in the cards, and not to exceed 60. How is this done?
9. Place eight counters or coins, as in the diagram below:
It is then required to lay them in four couples, removing only one at a time, and in each removal passing the one in the hand over two on the table.
10.The wine Merchant and his Clerk.—A wine merchant caused thirty-two casks of choice wines to be deposited in his cellar, giving orders to his clerk to arrange them as in the annexed figure, so that each external row should contain nine. The clerk, however, took away twelve of them, at three different times—that is, four at each time, yet when the merchant went into the cellar, after each theft had been committed, the clerk always made him count nine in each row. How was this possible?
12. First draw a square and divide it into four parts. Then make six marks in the first square and say they represent six pigs, for you pretend to describe a farmyard you once saw. In the next square make six more marks to represent cows, in the next square six more marks for horses, and the last square represent donkeys.
ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.
1. An old man married a young woman; their united ages amounted to one hundred. The man’s age, multiplied by four and divided by nine, gives the woman’s age. What were their respective ages?
2. How many yards of paper, three-quarters of a yard wide, will cover a chamber that is sixty feet round, and ten feet one and one-half inches high?
3. In a family of eight young people, it was agreed that three at a time should visit the Crystal Palace, and that the visit should be repeated each day as long as a different trio could be selected. In how many days were the possible combinations of three out of eight completed?
4. How many changes can be given to seven notes of a piano? That is to say, in how many ways can seven keys be struck in succession, so that there shall be some difference in the order of the notes each time?
5. At a time when eggs were scarce, an old woman who possessed some good hens, wishing to oblige her friends, sent her daughter with a basket of eggs to three of them; at the first house, which was the squire’s, she left half the number of eggs she had, and half a one over; at the second she left half of what remained and half an egg over; and at the third she again left half of the remainder, and half a one over; she carried home one egg in her basket, not having broken any. How many had she when she started?
6. Two drovers, A and B, meeting on the road, began discoursing about the number of sheep they each had. Says B to A, “Pray give me one of your sheep and I will have as many as you.” “Nay,” replied A, “but give me one of your sheep and I will have as many again as you.” Required to know the number of sheep they each had?
7. To tell at what hour a person intends to rise. Let the person set the hand of the dial of a watch at any hour he pleases, and tell you what that hour is; and to the number of that hour you add in your mind twelve; then tell him to count privately the number of that amount upon the dial, beginning with the next hour to that on which he proposes to rise, and counting backwards, first reckoning the number of the hour at which he has placed the hand. How is it done?
“The Two Travelers.”
ANSWERS TO CONUNDRUMS.
1.Goliah.
2. He was his own son.
3. Because of the sand which is (sandwiches) there.
4. Because the children of Ham were bred (bread) and mustered (mustard) there.
5. He is not at all black (a tall black).
6. The bed will not come to us.
7. There is not a single person in it.
8. He is crusty.
9. When it is ajar.
10. He had a lady in his head.
11. He is always forgetting (for-getting).
12. Because they are too long and too loose (Toulon and Toolouse).
13. R U E (are you he).
14. Adriatic (a dry attic).
15. Hymen.
16. It is a deck oration (decoration).
17. It follows the sea (C).
18. The cat’ll eat it (the cattle eat it).
19. There is no parting there.
20. S X (Essex).
21. He is ruffled.
22. She sows tares while the husbandman sleeps.
23. It is often told (tolled).
24. Because they found little profit (prophet) in the rushes on the banks.
25. Because one is a taper in a cavern, the other a caper in a tavern.
26. Jeroboam, Samuel, Benjamin (Jerry beau ’em; Sam you will; Ben jam in).
27. Herodias’ daughter, because she got ahead of John the Baptist on a charger.
28. They were snaked out.
29. It took him forty days and nights to find Ara-rat.
30. Because we can not make them here (hear).
31. Fiddle-de-dee (Fiddle D D).
32. Because he is best known by his gait (gate).
33. “Its silvered o’er with care.”
34. Because it cannot be used till it is drawn.
ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS AND CHARADES.
1. Fire-fly.
2. Mur-mur.
3. Canada.
4. Sky-lark.
5. Ladder—adder.
6. Fast—Feast.
7. Counter-pane.
8. Truly.
9. Yesterday.
10. A bed.
11. Railway train.
12. Gold.
13. Candle-stick.
14. Hour-glass.
15. Flute.
16. Justice, (just-ice.)
17. A tree.
18. Alphabet.
19. The animal sent was an antelope, (aunt elope!) the fruit returned was a cantelope (can’t elope.)
20. On I on, (onion.)
21. Broom.
22. The letter L.
23. The vowels.
24. A spermaceti candle.
25. Cares—s.
26. Heroine.
27. Idol.
28. Cod.
29. The kine that bore the ark. 1 Samuel, vi., 10, 12, 14.
30. Bathsheba.
31. Solomon.
32. Horse-man-ship.
33. Flash.
Answer to Enigmatical Dinner.
1. Turkey.
2. Parsnips.
3. Hare, (hair.)
4. Dandelion, (dandy-lion.)
5. Lamb.
6. Mint-sauce.
7. Tongue.
8. Mangoes.
9. Potatoes.
10. Ham.
11. Cabbage.
Dessert.
1. Ice cream.
2. Maderia, (wine.)
3. Whips.
4. Champagne, (sham-pain.)
5. Punch.
6. Brandy.
7. Pine-apples.
8. Hock.
9. Pears.
10. Trifle.
11. Currants.
ANSWERS TO PARADOXES AND PUZZLES.
1. The secret of the puzzle is to arrange the men by a simple formula; take the sentence, “A gray owl did eat a snake,” and arrange them with checkers, the vowels all black, the consonants white. You will then see by taking away every fifth one, three times round, those left will be all white.
2. First take over the goat, the next time the wolf; leaving the wolf he must bring back the goat and leave it, then take the cabbages, and going back once more he takes the goat. Thus the wolf will never be left with the goat, nor the goat with the cabbages.
3. If the secret be not discovered, remove one of the end pieces to the other side, thus you take away the piece from the centre without touching it.
4. One hundred.
5. 792; six dozen dozen being 864, and a half a dozen dozen 72.
It was discovered that by using the vowel E this couplet was formed.
8. Request the person to give you all the cards containing the number he has fixed upon, and then add all the right hand upper corner figures together, which will give the correct answer. For example: suppose 10 is the number thought of, the cards with 2 and 8 in the corners will be given, which makes the answer 10.
9. Place 4 on 7, 6 on 2, 1 on 3, and 8 on 5, or 5 on 2, 3 on 7, 8 on 6, 4 on 1, &c.
10. The clerk arranged them thus:
11. Be above meddling in a man’s family.
12. In the last square you must only make five marks, and then ask the one you are talking to, to count and see if all are right; if you do it carelessly and he is off his guard he will probably say “one of the donkeys are wanting.” You then must slily say, “If you’ll jump in, all will be right.” Such simple “sells” often cause a good laugh.
ANSWERS TO ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS.
1. The man’s age was 69 years and 12 weeks. The woman’s, 30 years and 40 weeks.
2. 90 yards.
3. Multiply 8 × 7 × 6, and also 3 × 2 × 1, and divide the product of the former, 336, by the product of the latter, 6, the result is 56, the number of visits, a different two going each time.
4. 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1, result is 5,040, the number of changes.
5. 15 eggs.
6. A had seven and B had five sheep.
7. Suppose the hour he intends to rise be 8, and that he has placed the hand at 5; you will add 12 to 5 and tell him to count 17 on the dial first reckoning 5, the hour at which the index stands, and counting backwards from the hour at which he intends to rise; and the number, 17, will necessarily end at 8, which shows that to be the hour he chose to rise.
8. The five-gallon barrel was filled first, and from that the three-gallon barrel, thus leaving two gallons in the five-gallon barrel; the three-gallon barrel was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel, and the two gallons poured from the five-gallon barrel into the empty three-gallon barrel; the five-gallon barrel was then filled, and one gallon poured into the three-gallon barrel, therefore leaving four gallons in the five-gallon barrel, one gallon in the eight-gallon barrel, and three gallons in the three-gallon barrel, which was then emptied into the eight-gallon barrel. Thus each person had four gallons of brandy in the eight and five-gallon barrels respectively.
9. This puzzle has as yet no answer. I trust some of thereaders of this book will be able to send us a correct answer. It most surely can be ascertained, as there is a way to solve it.
10. The four figures are 8 8 8 8, which being divided by a line drawn through the middle, become ̶8̶8̶8̶8̶ . The sum of which is eight 0s, or nothing.