Then Silver reads an absurd story about Will Rogers and his dog, and McShane laughingly answers questions about it with virtually no mistakes. Finally, there's a page of multiplication and long division problems. McShane hesitates, seemingly stumped. As we wait, tension prickles up slightly in the small kitchen. The numbers are a bit faint on the page.
Silver quickly takes the sheet back and retraces the figures with a marker.
Mrs. McShane clears her throat with a Maine-bred ayuh, and resumes calculating. Within a few minutes, she has solved all the problems flawlessly. Her daughter informs us that McShane worked as a bookkeeper into her 80s. After a few more problems, the researchers pack up their materials and leave, with many thanks to McShane and her family. Many centenarians stumble on this one, Perls noted, suggesting that it may be an early indicator of impending mental dysfunction.