Tell a person to write down a row of figures. Now, this row will constitute the main body of the answer. Tell him to write another row beneath it; you now write a row also, matching his second row in pairs of 9’s he writes one more row, and you again supply another in the same manner. Your addition sum will now consist of five lines, four of which are paired; the first line, or key line, being the answer to the sum.
From the unit figure in the key line deduct the number of pairs of 9’s—in this instance two—and place the remainder, 6, as the unit figure of the answer, then write in order the rest of the figures in the key line, annexing the 2 to the extreme left; this will constitute the complete answer.
It, of course, is not necessary to adhere to two pairs of 9’s; there may be three, four, or even more; but the total number of lines, including the key line, must be odd, and the number of pairs must be deducted from the unit figure of the key line, and this same number be written down at the extreme left. The number of figures in each line should always be the same. As the location of the key line may be changed if necessary, the artifice could not easily be detected.
Punctuation was first used in literature in the year 1520. Before that time wordsandsentenceswereputtogetherlikethis.
[13.] Smith and Brown meet a dairymaid with a pail containing milk. Smith maintains that it is exactly half full; Brown that it is not. The result is a wager. They have no instrument of any kind, nor can they procure one by means of which to decide the wager; nevertheless they manage to find out accurately, and without assistance, whether the pail is half-full or not. How is it done?—It should be added that the pail is true in every direction.
A HINT FOR TAILORS.
“There, stand in that position, please, and look straight at that notice while I take your measure.”
Customer reads the notice—
“Terms Cash.”