Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-02-23
A Chapter of Puzzles.

w OO, OOSoh iuO pIO
fessor, impressively, addressing
the hostess, "were walking togeth
er down the street, and one of
them, stopping at a certain house
knocked at the door, observing: q
have a niece here, who is i'll.
Thank Heaven observed the
other, 4 have got no niece and
he walked away. Now how could
that be !'S
"Why, !" exclaimed
Mr.. Funnidog, delightedly.
( "And one that you will not
guess in hurry, simple as it is, y
observed the professor, confidently
Come, ladies and gentlemen,
solve the problem"
81 see---," calculated Mrs.
Housewife. sfo a
"Hush ! whisper in my ear,
cried Puzzleton, with all the ex-
citement Of a child with a top.
"Don't let 'em hear it. Niece by
marriage. Stuff and nonsense.
The thing is not any foolish kind
of batch at all and once more he
glanced with hostility at Funni.
dog, as much as to say: "Such as
he would ask you"
"Nothing can be simpler than
my question" said the Professor.
I've got niece that's ILL.,, says
one brother. Thank heaven, l
have not got a niece says the
other. How can that be? You all
give it up? Well, the invalid was
his daughter
'"Oh, | see," said Mrs. House
wife, despondently. GLOW very
stupid in US not to find it out"
Eyes, indeed, madam" answered
the remorseless savant. "That
failure only shows how difficult it
is for ordinary minds to grasp
more than one idea at the same
time. The attention is solely
fixed on the different varieties of
nieces."
"And also," observed Mr.. Aloes,
(who was much displeascd at be-
ing classed among ordinary
minds") "and, also, the attention
is naturally distracted from the
point at Issue by the brutality of
the fathers remark. Now, that is
in itself "a catch, in my opinion
"Well, sir, l will give you an.
other simple exercise for the un-
derstanding that has no such dis
tracing element" observed the
professor coolly. ga blind beggar
had a brother. That brother
died. What relation were they
to one another? Come, tell me
that"
"Why, they were brothers" ex-
claimed the colonel, with the rap-
idity of small boy at the bottom
of his class, who hopes to gain
promotion.
''No, sir" answered the profes-
sor, regarding Thunderbomb with
interest, as a significant type of
some low order of Intelligence,
"theywere not brothers, or | should
scarcely have asked the question.
"They might be brothers-in-
law" suggested Funnidog. H
Undoubtedly they might" re-
piled Puzzleton, with a plying
smile "but they were not"
"Stop Bit" said Mcpherson
hurriedly, like one who has not
got his answer quite ready, but yet
doesn't wish to be anticipated.
"The blind beggar, you say, had
a brother, and the brother died.
Well of course, if ore was dead,
you know, they could not be broth
ers any longer"
"The idea is novel;" observed
the professor gravely, "but you
have not hit upon the exact solu-
tion. The fact is, gentlemen and
ladies, a blind beggar may be eth
er male or female. In this in
stance she was a female. They
were brother and sister"
81 call that a catch" " said Al
oes, gloomily. --
"Well, at all events, it was an
easy one, and you all missed it, "
returned the professor with quiet
triumph. Now l will give you
one more example OF social arith-
metic, which will be in all respects
bona fide. 1t is simple question
in subtraction, and all | shall ask
of you is since two or three CUES
ses would arrive at the ruth by
mere elimination-to write down
the reply on paper. A man went
into a cobbler's and bought pair
of boots for sixteen shillings. He
put down a sovereign twenty
shillings) and the cobbler, having
no change, sent to neighboiine
public house, and gave it to him
I Later in tho dow tho landlord of