The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-05-27

one ides sstAH 44sas In attention n ssls-
ly h.ed sdas Of mecca"
And .!.o!.S%rT Aloss. who va'
.rI mins . "a ..G :. 0,s,n.
distracted from the point It issue BY the brltai.
ity ct the fathers remark. Now, that 10 in itself
= catch. in my opinjQa." -
well, :ir, will yeu another sinpls *.
ercise for the underS( ndug, that has no such
distracting element, he'd the Professor,
cody. "A blind begSa re brother. The
brother died. What rek38 were they to one
another! Come, tell me 10y
why, they. were brstb exclaimed the
Colonel, with the rapidly 6l8 small boy at the
bottom OF his class, who hopes to gain promotion.
Ihunderbomb with interest, a. significant type
OF some low order Of intelligence; "they were
a as, sioshs''' or 'A' have asked the
Funnidog. sat
Undoubtedly they might" replied Puzzleton,
with plying smile; "but they were not.
stop Bit" SAID Mcpherson, hurriedly, like
enc who has not got his answer quite ready. but
yet doesn't wish to be anticipated. THE blind
begyar, YOU say, had brother, and the brother
died. Well, of course, if one was dead, you
know, they could not be brothers any longer
THE idea is novel" observed tho Professor,
gravely. "but yeu have not hit on the right solu-
ton. The fact is, gentlemen and ladies, blind
beggar may be either male or female. They
were brother and sister"
II call that CATCH" said Aloes, gloemily
well, at all events, it was an easy one, and
you all missed it," returned the Professor with
quiet triumph. 'Now, will give you one more
example OF social arithmetic, which will be in
all respects Joaa tide. 1t is simple question in
subtraction, and all shall ask of you is-.ince
two or three guesses would arrive at the truth
by mere slimLation-to write down the reply
on paper. A man went into a cobblers and
bought pair of boots for sixteen shillings. He
put down sovereign twenty shillings,) and the
cobbler having no change, went TO u neighboring
public house for it, and gave it to him. Later
in the day the landlord of the inn sent in to say
that the sovereign was bad one, and insisted
on the cobbler making it right, which he accord.
ingy did. Now, how much did the cobbler lose
by the whole transaction. There is no play
upon words, or anything but q common sum in
srithemetic."
why, it's the easiest thing in the world
calculated Housewife "Of course the cobblsr
lost Just"
BE quite sure." cried Puzxleton, very an.
grily. Write it down, will yor-that is il you
can write"
Scratch Professor and you will find tar.
tar" whispered Aloes. "You had better do o.
he wishes
So We all wrote down What We imagined to
be the less which the cobbler had sustained, and
it is wonderful how opinions differed within such
narrow limits
The Colonel made his loss two pounds.
Mr.. Aloes made his loss Just two pounds and
the boots.
Mr.. Funnidog made him lose six and thirty
shillinRs.
Mr.. Mcpherson made him lose sixteen shill.
ings and the boots (which, said the Professor, it
Is not at all necessary to take int consider.
atom
Mr.. Scale Hill, who used to investigate the
bills OF sxtortionate Swiss landlords, set down
the loss With c,ufidsnee ut twelve shillin9s and
the boots
Housewife wrote why, of course, he lost
the boots and twenty.four shillings,"
Mrs. Housewife and the ladies bit their pens,
but declined TO commit themselves They had
never been taught" they all said, "the rule Of
three
You are all wrong said the Professor, qui.
city "as expected you would be. The way to
get at the matter is to consider what is gained.
The landlord and the whole story of bis chang.
ing the sovereign may be taken out of the cues.
ton, since he is neither better nor worse for the
transaction. The buyer of the boots gets in e1.
change for his bad sovereign four shlllings and q
pair OF boots, and that is just what the cebbler
loses"
''If one had a room to ones self, and the whole
day before one to do 1t in sighed Mrs. House.
wife, II think l could answer any Of these
q aestions"