Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1899-06-10
CONUNDRUMS.


looked up long enough to say: "Oh, pa,
please let me wait long enough to find
this out"
Find what out?'
cts a cnnundrum in this paper, and
can't see what it means"
81 don't take no sort of stock in con-
undrllms," sail Mr.. Duryea, testify,
they won't git your bread and butter
for you, can tell you"
Aunt Sophia was sitting in the cor
ner industriously darning one of the
boys stockings. mo, indeed, she
chimed in. TITS a foolish waste of
time to find EN- out. never bothered
over no conundrums when l was a
girl"
"But if you had been boy, Aunt So
phia," Zech, ventured to say, though
with respectful air, don't you think
it would have been different?'
''Not a mite" and Aunt Sophia purs-
ed her lips in scorn at the idea.
Eyes, my boy" Mrs. Duryea remon-
strated in a mild tone, I'm afraid you
are wasting some other part of the
paper"
''But it's such satisfaction to make
them out" said Zech.
Eyes, and then after they're made
out are you any richer?" snapped Mr..
Duryea. ST haven't any patience with
these time MASTERS that they put in the
papers nowadays"
"But this is such a strange one ar
gued the boy. "Just listen"
eve amt listenin' to no conundrums,
Zech," said his father sternly.
"Please let me read it to you just
once"
"Readin' it won't do no harm,
Daniel" the mother interposed.
"Read on then and get off to your
chores, and remember you must go
down to the village tonight with that
harness. 1t amt to be put off nohow.'
1t was not a very gracious permits
sion, but Zech was glad to take advan-
tage of it. AS for Aunt Sophia, she
turned away with a sniff of contempt
for the whole proceeding.
The conundrum was as follows:
ST saw one day the widest thing,
1t had neither foot nor wing;
And yet it hurried down the street,
Frightning all it CHANGED to meet,
Making folks run here and there,
Bringing anguish and despair"
"Humph!" grunted Mr.. Duryea, af-
ter Zech had finished reading, Il sup
pose you hadn't gumption enough to
look down at the bottom for the ans
wer."
"Why, pa, the answer isn't at the
bottom"
'How do you know?"
"They never put it in the same pa
per
well, you jest look down there and
see if it don't tell you what those lines
mean" said Mr.. Duryea.
"P'r'aps it's in some other part of
the paper" Mrs. Duryea suggested.
I'm sure it isn't" said Zech, for
they always put the answers in the
next paper" But he good naturally
searched through every page, adding at
last, "Theres nothing else about it.
We've got to guess it, that's all"
what was it bout, wild animal?"
Mr.. Duryea asked, in tone that he
vainly tried to make appear indiffer
ent.
Zech again read the lines.
oval, now, what sort of wild AMI
NAL could walk without foot?''
81 don't know"
COR what bird could fly without
wings?" put in Mrs. Duryea.
81 don't see how it could hurry with
out feet or wings remarked Zech.
cit warn't kite, l suppose?" came
from Aunt Sophia's corner, and the
others were too much occupied with
their own thoughts to be surprised at
her interest.
NO it can't be that" unused Mr.. Dur
yea, though it do have no feet nor
wings
"A kite couldn't brighten nobody,
and 'twouldn't bring despair to no one
but the lazy boy who was maxim it
when he ought to be workin'."
"Now, let me see," said Mrs. Duryea,
''how does it go?''
Il saw one day the widest thing,
1t had neither foot nor wing"
And yet it hurried down the
street," prompted her husband.
'Fright'ning all it CHANGED to meet"
went on Zech.
maxim folks run here and there,
Bringing anguish and despair
1t was actually Aunt Sophia who |
saM these two lines. and she seemed
to be unconscious of the fact that she
was helping with the despised conun-
lrum
wal, I'm flabbergasted!" exclaimed
Mr. Duryea after he had scratched his
head, twisted about in mis- chair, and
with his et@ a4. g po a.
ar as he was able. tcn't seem 70
ne the things possible. How can any
Wild thing hurry along without feet
Tor wings? Pears to me there'sfno
ech ANIMAL"
"Oh, yes, pa" argued zech, lit
wouldn't be here in this paper if it
yasn't something real"
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