The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-12
UNCLE MINGO SOLVES
THE APPLE PROBLEM
By w. T. Williams.

Now dat dey done settle dat little
matter bout how old Ann is said the
waiter, 81 see by de paper dis morn
in dat some smart Teller ober cen
London has spring anudder question
wich he say de fellers cen New York
kin worry ober if dey wants to-"
How did it go?" asked Uncle Min
CO.
1T gone on to say" said the waiter,
dat tree boys, witch we will spose to
be name Tom, Dick an Harry, gone
out to gedder apples"
Were did dey go for dem?" asked
Uncle Mingo.
Didn't say nothin bout dat" said
the waiter; ills say dey gone an git
a bag full
How big was de bag?" interrupted
the proprietor.
Didn't say said the waiter. amy
how, dey was to share dem eben; but
endurin' de night Tom he git up, an
sort out de apples cen tree equal piles,
an fin he had one apple ober He trow
way de extry apple, an den he eat up
his pile"
;"Gee!' exclaimed the proprietor;
mus a been a paper bag"
Den Tom mix de two udder piles
up togedder, an gone back to bed
'I don't wonder" said the proprietor
Little vile after" resumed the
waiter, Dick he git up, sort out de APP
pies cen tree piles, had one apple
ober witch he trow away, den he eat
up his pile, an mix up wot was lef'.
After him come Harry. He make de
tree piles, fin one apple ober, witch he
trow way like de udders, an den eat
up one pile, lef' de res, an gone to
bed.
Zen de mornin when dey come to
share out de apples wot was lief; dey
fin dat once mo- again dey had one
apple ober. So de question is, how
much apples did dey had at fus|'
How kin you tell wen dey don't
chen say how big de bag was?" said
the proprietor.
81 reckon said the waiter, cit has
got to be did by jometry an algebry
an de rule-o-tree an de application
OBJ de cube root. Howsomebber. 1
tink it's right easy.
you see. dey had thirty-one apples
to start wid Tom make tree piles o.
ten applies, trow way de. extry one.
eat his ten, an den he had twenty
apples lef. Come along Dick; he make
his tree piles-lemne see, six applies
apiece, dat make eighteen, so he had
one lef' ober--no, dog gone it! he had
two lef' ober std o. one! 1 don't
tink it kin be did"
Uncle Mingo laughed
You don't seem to hab much head
for cackerlatin'," he observed. Nov,
de problem don't offer no diffikilities
to me nohow'
Indeed" remarked the waiter, II
wasn't ware dat you had so much
school vantage to learn all dem kin
O. tings."
1T don't need so much schoolin' for
dem kin O. fool questions like dat"
said Uncle Mingo; dat jis come match
eral from little studyin' OBJ de sub
jec'. Wy, out to Postum Ho1er 1
knows a ole niger wot is de beatenes
Teller for all dat kin o. ting you ebber
see. He cuts wood an timber an
cross-ties an all like dat, an hires out
by de day an de hour, an runs a
count at de sto'. He can't tell one fig
ger from annudder. but he tote a
stick wild little notches cut on it. At
de en- O. de mont he come 'roun to de
sto' for a settlement. De cashier ak
him, How much you make 1 owe you,
Pompey?' 'Seben dollar an eighty
f1be cent, sah,' say Pompey. Right to a
cent say de cashier.
80 OATS de way 1 is a little myself.
w IlGn l. OIIl COlilC u ldGhl6 u6 dpDl6S,
dere was zac'ly seventy-n nine; he
make tree piles OBJ twenty-six apples
cen each, witch come to seventy-eight
so he trow way one apple, eat one pile
O. twenty-six, an had fifty-two lef.
"Dick fin fifty-two. make tree piles
OBJ seventeen. which come to fifty-one,
trow away one apple, eat seventeen an
den he had thirty-four 1ef'.
Harry fin thirty-four. make tree
piles OBJ eleven in each, comm to thir-
ty-three; so he trow way de one, eat
eleven, an put up Gle twenty-five.
Zen de mornin' dey share up de ap-
pies, each Teller gifts seben, witch make
twenty-one, so dey had still one apple
to trow way, an dere you is"
"Well declare, uncle" exclaimed the
waiter admiring1y, "dat's a great head
you got!''
30, 1 dunno" said Uncle Mingo mod
estly; "dat was easy. 1 fought comm
from London it was goin' to be sum-
pm hard. lowed maybe dey was go
in to AK how much people gone to