Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1903-10-21
CAN YOU TELL?

MI Any Is II years OLD. mary Is
1 Il twice AS old as Ann was when
Mary was cid as Ann is now. How
old is Ann?
The puzzle has come, been seen, and
has conquered the Harvard Univers-
ity. 1t is a mightier at tackle than
football. 1t has caught New England
in it's compelling grasp. Out OF the
figuring that it has evoked in the
East the slate and pencil industries
are expecting boom to Danish all
thoughts of Winter OF discomfort.
The question that really bothers
the United States is: How old is Ann?
Let Mekden and Antung, ON the
Yaiu River, in the land OF the Manch-
us, be opened to the commerce OF the
world. Or let them be closed to the
commerce OF the world. Let Chamber
lain amuse himself by building mud
pie dixie around the British empire.
Let astronomers and economists quar-.
rel about the connection between sun
spots and financial panics. Only the
leisure class has time for trif1es such
as these. The vital question Of today
is: How cid is Ann?
A group OF men, big men CONNER.
cial giants, is seen in the corner OF the
dining room of the Chicago Club.
Their heads are close together. The
whole arch OF the business world finds
its keystone in their conversation.
Will they plunge us into an abysm OF
disaster or will they lift us up to the
solid ground OF prosperity? A report
err steals up behind them to learn our
fate. He crouches behind an adjoin-
ing table. "Oh, you're way off. II
Ann is twice as young as Mary used to
be when Ann was the the same age
that she Is now, just let equal the
comparative ages Of both and you see
that Ok minus AIMS real age will
equal the age Of both girls put to-
gether, and, therefore, Ann"
Then it's no use having Congress
meet until AIMS age is decided. Or
perhaps Congress would better meet
and pass law suppressing the Ann
puzzle along with. the anarchist papers.
Otherwise industrial operations will
come to a standstil. Street-cars can't
get by each other any longer, because
The motormen are exchanging new
solutions. Employers think that their
employees have gone on strike and are
rioting on the street corner when all
that they are doing is discussing Ann
and the number Of her Summers. The
Democratic party is threatened with
another split. The National Associa-
'tion Of Archaeologists broke up in
row. Dunning and Kankakee have
built new extensions. How old is
Ann? How old is Ann?
The real solution, Of course, is this:
Mary being twice as old as Ann was
at the time when her age, multiplied
by two, equaled the combined ages Of
the two girls, minus the age of the
younger OF the two, and Ann being
the younger, and therefore older than
Mary, provided Mary's age be deduct
ed from hers, the former age Of the
two girls when divided by two will
equal the age at which Mary was
Here come the handouts. The solu.
ton will be completed az soon as q
verdict Of sanity is returned by the
jury. The jury will say: MARY is twice
as old as she used to be when Ann was
twice as old as she is now, and the
prisoner is perfectly sane, and Ann is
too young to be indicted, and Mary is
old enough to know better"
At late hour last night man
whose Identity could not be learned
was reported to have burst out the
door OF his study on Main street and
ran down the street shouting in the
hysterical tones OF one who has been
driven suddenly and hopelessly in
sane: elbow old ia Ann.n-n?"