The Portland daily press., 1898-12-29
4 CONUNDRUM CRAZE.

A CUNUNDRUM C0ALE.
Come, Zech, amt it time to tend to
your choresP"
Zeoh, who was bending over a paper,
looked up long enough to say, oh, pa,
nlease let me wait long enough to find this
0ut''
'sFind what outs"
ITS connndrum In this paper, and l
can't see what ii means"
ssI don't tsEeno sort Of stock in conun-
srunos," said aNIr Duryea testify; "they
son't git your bfsad and butter for you, I
can ;tell you.
Aunt Sophia was sitting in the corner
lnduatrfonsfy daEning one of the boy
BOOKINGS. mo, indeed, = she chimed in;
nit's foolish waste Of time to find 'em
aub. I never bothered over no conun-
drums when was GIRL
ssBut Il you. had been boy, Aunt So
phiA, - Zech ventured to say, though with
> respectful air, .'don't you think it would
have hsen ,difsrente''
ssNos a mite and Aunt Sophia pursed
her lips la scofn at the idea.
Eyes, my boy Mrs. Duryea remon-
strated In mild tone, "I'm afraid you
are wasting some other part of the paper.
It amt all oonundrums.
aBut it's such satisfaction to make
them cut" said zeoh.
Eyes, and then after they're made out
are you any richeFas' snapped Mr.. Duryea
ssI hain't any patience with these time
wastexs that they put in the papers now
adays."
"But this is such strange one, argued
the boy; "just listen.
ave amt listening to no conundrums
Zech.' . said his father sternly.
ssPlease let me read it to you just once. I"
stReading it won't do no harm, Dan 'el, !"
the mother interposed.
ssRead on then and git off to your
chores. and remember you must go down
to the village tonight with that harness.
It ain t TO be put of nohow."
It was not very gracious permission,
but Zech was glad to take advantage of it,.
AS for Aunt Sophia, she turned away with
sniff of contempt for the whole proceed
ing.
The conundrum was as follows:
saw one day. the widest thing;
1t naQ n61ti1GI tUcu I'LL N&A4Ss
And yet it hurried down the street
Fright ming all it CHANGED to meet,
Making folks run here and there,
Bringing anguish and despair.
"Humph!' grunted Mr.. Duryea, after
Zeeh had finished reading. I suppose you
hadn't gumption enough to look down at
the bottom for the answer.
ssWhy, pa, the answer isn't at the bot
TOM
"How do you know9"
"They never put it in the same paper.
eWaal, you jest look down there and see
If it don It tell you what those lines mean,
said Mr. Duryea.
sP'r'aps it's in some other part of the
paper Mrs. Duryea suggested.
tsTm sure it isn't said Zech, "for
they always put the answers in the next
paper" But ne good naturedly searched
through every page, adding at last:
"Thers' nothing else about It, We've just
got to guess it; traits all.
'tWhat was it 'bout--a wild animal?"
Mr.. Duryes asked in a tone that he vainly
tried to make appear Indifferent
Zech again read the lines.
"Waal, now, what sort Of Wild animal
could walk without foot?"
at don't know"
"Or what bird could fly without wingsY"
put in Mrs. Duryea.
ST don't see how 1t could hurry without
feet or wings" remarked Zech.
sit warn't kite, I SUPPOSE" came
from Aunt Sophia's corner, aud the others
were too much occupied with their own
thoughts TO be surprised at her interest.
"No-o, 1t can't be that" unused Mr..
Duryea, Though 1T do have no feet nor
wings. A kite couldn't brighten nobody,
and 'twouldn It bring despair to no one but
the lazy boy who was making 1t when he
ought to be working"
ssNow, let me see, said Mrs. Duryea,
refeotively; s'how does ID go?
ST saw one day the widest thing.
It had neither foot nor wing
"And yet ID hurried down the street,
prompted her husband.
Fright ming all it CHANGED to meet,
went on Zech.
making folks run here and there.
Bringing anguish ana despair"
It was actually Aunt Sophia who said
these two lines, and she seemed to be I'M
conscious of the fact that she was helping
with the dsspised conundrum.
s'Waal, I'm flabhergastedP exclaimed
Mr.. Duryea, after he had scratched his
head, twisted about in his chair and strug-
gled with his guessing powers as far as he
was able. Don't seem to me the things
possible How can any wild thing hurry
along without feet nor wings? Pears to
me there's no sech animal"
"Oh, yes, pa, argued Zech, sit wouldn't
be here in this paper II 1t wasn't some
thing real."
"Yes, that's a good paper" supplement-
sd Mrs. Duryea; sit wouldn't have no
fooling in it. Jane said we cold depend on
it when she left it here for the boy to read.
She said there warn't no paper like it for
young folks"
Just then there came knock at the
door. Mr. Duryea arose and opened it,
and by way of greeting TO the neighbor
who stood there he said: 81 saw one Gay
the wildest-pshaw! What am l a-sayirg?
Come in, Luyster, come in. I've got one
of the boys conundrums in my head
and it came out unbeknownst. "
"Conundrunl, eh?' repeated Mr.. Luy
sser, as he entered and took the chair that
was offered to him.
"Yes, Mr. DuTyea answered with an
Il L