Transcriber's Note

This book is actually three volumes in one, each complete in itself. The page numbering starts at the beginning for each new volume.

The rest of the Transcriber's Note is at the [end] of the book.

Merry’s
BOOK OF PUZZLES.

EDITED BY ROBERT MERRY.

NEW YORK:

THOMAS O’KANE, PUBLISHER,

130 NASSAU STREET.

PREFACE.

The innumerable readers of Merry’s Museum will here meet with many familiar faces, lighted up by pleasant smiles, and hear the same old jovial laughter that greeted them in the olden time.

Our motto is that of our noble State—“Excelsior!” Our readers will see that we have not buried the talents of our contributors in napkins—but seek to bring them out into the bright day: For Genius—like the lamp of Aladdin—needs constant polishing to bring out its lustre and full effect.

Our object has been to instruct by smiles—not frowns; to cheer the dear hearts of the young girlhood and boyhood; to strew flowers among the necessary thorns of existence. In a word, we try in these pages to make the sad happy—the happy still happier.

Hence, pure fun will be found as beautiful in these pages, as honey amid the flowers of Hybla.

Robert Merry.

Robert Merry to his friends

A kindly greeting sends,

With a general assortment of questions,

Conundrums, Charades,

Puzzles, Riddles of all shades,

And Rebuses, as aids

To intellectual and social digestion.

If the young Merry host

Acquaintance should boast,

Or kindred, or authorship pat,

With some of our jokes,

We confess—(’tis no hoax)—

To amuse other folks,

We have riddled the Museum “Chat.”

Now we beg you will show,

If you happen to know,

Why the Editor, painstaking soul?

Is like the cold storm

Which, in climates bright and warm,

Where gallinippers swarm,

Come shivering down from the pole?

Merry’s BOOK OF PUZZLES.

1.

2.

3. Who prolongs his work to as great a length as possible, and still completes it in time?

4. Why are young ladies like arrows?

5. Why is a philanthropist like an old horse?

6. How can five persons divide five eggs, so that each man shall receive one, and still one remain in the dish?

7. How many soft-boiled eggs could the giant Goliah eat upon an empty stomach?

8. What fishes have their eyes nearest together?

9. Two fathers have each a square of land. One father divides his so as to reserve to himself one-fourth in the form of a square; thus—

The other father divides his so as to reserve to himself one-fourth in the form of a triangle; thus—

They each have four sons, and each divides the remainder among his sons in such a way that each son will share equally with his brother, and in similar shape. How were the two farms divided?

10.

11.

12. What is that which is often brought to table, often cut, but never eaten?

13.

My first is four-sixths of a step that is long,

My second is a person of state;

My whole is a thing that is known to be wrong,

And is a strong symptom of hate.

14. Why are your nose and chin always at variance?

15.

Without my first you can not stand,

My second beauteous fair command;

Together I attend your will,

And am your humble servant still.

16. Why ought a fisherman to be very wealthy?

17. Why is a man in debt like a misty morning?

18. Who was the first that bore arms?

19. There is a word of seven letters; the first two refers to man, the first three refers to woman, the first four signifies a great man, the seven a great woman.

20. I am a word of five letters. Take away my first and I am the name of what adorns the estate of many of the nobility of England. Take away my first and second, and I am the name of a place where all the world was once congregated. Take away my last, and I am the name of a beautiful mineral. Take away my two last, and I am the name of a fashionable place of resort. I am small in stature, but capable of doing a great deal of mischief, as I once did in London in the year 1666.

21. Spell eye-water four letters.

22. Why is swearing like an old coat?

23. Why is a thump like a hat?

24. Why is an inn like a burial-ground?

25.

26.

27. If a fender cost six dollars, what will a ton of coal come to?

28. What word is that to which if you add a syllable, it will make it shorter?

29.

My first is a very uncomfortable state,

In cold weather it mostly abounds.

My second’s an instrument formed of hard steel,

That will cause the stout foe to stagger and reel,

And when used, is a symptom of hate.

My whole is an author of greatest renown,

Whose fame to the last day of time will go down.

30. What is the longest and yet the shortest thing in the world; the swiftest and yet the slowest; the most divisible and the most extended; the least valued and the most regretted; without which nothing can be done; which devours every thing, however small, and yet gives life and spirits to every object, however great?

31.

My first is found in every house,

From wintry winds it guards.

My second is the highest found—

In every pack of cards.

My whole, a Scottish chief, is praised

By ballad, bard, and story,

Who for his country gave his life,

And, dying, fell with glory.

32. Why are handsome women like bread?

33. Why is an avaricious man like one with a short memory?

34. What river in Bavaria answers the question, Who is there?

35. Why is a man with wooden legs like one who has an even bargain?

36.

37.

38. Why is a parish bell like a good story?

39. What belongs to yourself, yet is used by others more than yourself?

40.

In camps about the centre I appear;

In smiling meadows seen throughout the year;

The silent angler views me in the streams,

And all must trace me in their morning dreams,

First in the mob conspicuous I stand,

Proud of the lead, and ever in command.

41. The head of a whale is six feet long; his tail is as long as his head and half his body, and his body is half of his whole length. How long is the whale?

42. A hundred stones are placed, in a straight line, a yard distant from each other. How many yards must a person walk, who undertakes to pick them up, and place them in a basket stationed one yard from the first stone?

43.

My first is a part of the day,

My last a conductor of light,

My whole to take measure of time,

Is useful by day and by night.

44. I am a word of three syllables, each of which is a word; my first is an article in common use; my second, an animal of uncommon intelligence; my third, though not an animal, is used in carrying burdens. My whole is a useful art.

45.

There was a man who was not born,

His father was not born before him,

He, did not live, he did not die,

And his epitaph is not o’er him.

46. Why is a nail, fast in the wall, like an old man?

47. Why does a miller wear a white hat?

48.

49.

50.

My first is a letter commanding to wed,

Or to lift your sole till it reaches your head;

Nothing worth as a whole, it is plain to all men

That divided in halves, it is equal to ten;

My second, though nothing, compared to the other,

Is worth more as a partner than its double-faced brother;

It moans and it sighs, and when joined to my first,

Pronounces the doom of the sinner accursed.

My third, you will find his whole value depends

On the worth and position of neighbors and friends,

And, when both the other two following fair,

Changes doom to desire, and a curse to a prayer.

My fourth, though it formeth no part of a hundred,

Shows where it can justly and evenly be sundered;

’Tis found in the elements everywhere present,

’Tis found in all seasons, unpleasant or pleasant,

’Tis the chief of all lands, and yet can not wait

On continent, hemisphere, empire, or state.

Though ne’er in Great Britain suspected to lower,

’Tis the heart of each quarter of that mighty power;

It always belonged to the animal race,

In the mineral kingdom they gave it a place,

And, being impartial, they could not deny,

The vegetable order its virtue to try;

And yet, since creation, it never was known

In beast, bird, or fish, root, branch, stem, or stone.

My whole you’ll find growing in pasture and barns,

Or grown in coats, carpets, warm blankets, and yarns,

In England, in Saxony, France, and old Wales,

And in sundry more places it always prevails.

Of quadrupedal origin—still it is known

In bipedal families oft to be shown;

But the strangest of all its strange forms, and conditions

Is seen in the covering of sage politicians.

51.

52.

53. What is that which is invisible, but never out of sight?

54. When is a boat like a knife?

55. What part of London is in France?

56. How many black beans will make five white ones?

57. Why is a dandy like a haunch of venison?

58. What kin is that child to its father who is not its father’s own son?

59. Why is a rose-bud like a promissory note?

60. What biblical name is there which expresses a father calling his son by name, and his son replying?

61. Why is an orange not like a church bell?

62. Why is the largest city in Ireland likely to be the largest city in the world?

63.

Three-fourths of a cross, and a circle complete,

An upright where two semicircles meet,

A rectangle triangle standing on feet,

Two semicircles, and a circle complete.

64. What smells most in a drug shop?

65. Why should doctors attend to window-sashes?

67. What is that which every one can divide, but no one can see where it has been divided?

68. Spell hard water with three letters.

69. What letters of the alphabet come too late for supper?

70.

71.

72.

Pronounced as one letter, and written with three,

Two letters there are, and two only in me;

I’m double, I’m single, I’m black, blue, and gray,

I am read from both ends, and the same either way,

I am restless and wandering, steady and fixed,

And you know not one hour what I may be the next.

I melt, and I kindle—beseech, and defy,

I am watery and moist, I am fiery and dry.

I am scornful and scowling, compassionate, meek;

I am light, I am dark, I am strong, I am weak.

I’m piercing and clean, I am heavy and dull;

Expressive and languid, contracted and full.

I’m a globe and a mirror, a window, a door,

An index, an organ, and fifty things more.

I belong to all animals under the sun,

And to those who were long understood to have none.

My language is plain, though it can not be heard,

And I speak without even pronouncing a word.

Some call me a diamond—some say I am jet;

Others talk of my water, or how I am set.

I’m a borough in England, in Scotland a stream,

And an isle of the sea in the Irishman’s dream.

The earth without me would no loveliness wear,

And sun, moon, and stars at my wish disappear.

Yet so frail is my tenure, so brittle my joy,

That a speck gives me pain, and a drop can destroy.

73. What vessel is that which is always asking leave to move?

74. Translate the following into Latin—

42, 8 rocks, e e e e e e e e e e, 46. 2. 14. 8. 0.

75. How is it that you can work with an awl, but not with a forceps; while I can work with a forceps, and not with an awl?

76.

77.

Add, was the word the master gave to Dick,

Dick scratched his head, and looking rather thick,

Replied, “Hereafter it would make it stick.”

“Dick,” cried the master, “rudeness is a sin;

Behold the stocks, I’ll surely put you in.”

“That,” answered Dick, “won’t alter it a feather,

Hereafter it would make it hold together.”

“Dick,” said the man, “if you insult me so,

Your shoulders and my rod I’ll put in Co.”

“ ’Tis all the same,” said Dick, “my worthy master,

Hereafter it would make it stick the faster.”

78. Why is France like a skeleton?

79. Why is a woodman like a stage actor?

80. Why is the hour of noon on the dial-plate like a pair of spectacles?

81. Why is the best baker most in want of bread?

82.

Whether old Homer tippled wine or beer,

Julep or cider, history is not clear;

But plain it is—the bard, though wont to roam,

But for one liquid, never had left home.

83. Why is a coward like a mouse-trap?

84. Why is green grass like a mouse?

85. What two reasons why whispering in company is not proper?

86.

My first is found on the ocean wave,

In the spring, the pit, and the mine;

My second below earth’s surface you have,

Where seldom the sun can shine.

My whole your dinner-table must grace,

And seldom fails to obtain a place.

87. Why is a gooseberry pie like counterfeit money?

88.

89. Why does a fisherman blow his horn?

90. Why is there no danger of starving in a desert?

91.

Take half of the needle

By which sailors steer

Their ship through the water,

Be it cloudy or clear;

Do not really break it—

This of all things were worst—

But in your mind take it,

And this makes my first.

At thanksgiving or Christmas,

My second you see;

With care well compounded,

From grain, shrub, and tree.

My whole like some people

Who make great pretense,

Of words have a plenty,

But no great stock of sense.

92. How is it that Methuselah was the oldest man, when he died before his father?

93.

My first is a negative greatly in use,

By which people begin when they mean to refuse;

My second is Fashion, or so called in France,

But, like other whims, is the servant of chance.

An article always in use is my whole,

With texture and form under fashion’s control;

But, alas! not a thing can it see which goes by,

Although many have four sights, and all have one eye.

94. What is that which, supposing its greatest breadth to be four inches, length nine inches, and depth three inches, contains a solid foot?

95.

96.

My tongue is long, my breath is strong,

And yet I breed no strife;

My voice you hear both far and near,

And yet I have no life.

97. A waterman rows a given distance, a, and back again in b hours, and finds that he can row c miles with the current, for d miles against it. Required, the time of rowing down, the time of rowing up, the rate of current, and the rate of rowing.

98.

As I was beating on the far east grounds,

Up starts a hare before my two greyhounds;

The dogs, being light of foot, did fairly run,

To her fifteen rods, just twenty-one;

And the distance that she started up before,

Was six-and-ninety rods, just and no more;

Now, I would have you Merry boys declare

How far they ran, before they caught the hare.

99. Is it possible to put twelve pieces of money in six rows, and have four in a row?

100. A gentleman sent a servant with a present of nine ducks, with this direction—

“To Alderman Gobble, with ix. ducks.”

The servant took out three, and contrived it so that the direction corresponded with the number of the ducks. He neither erased nor altered a letter. How did he do it?

101.

Four letters form me quite complete,

As all who breathe do show;

Reversed, you’ll find I am the seat

Of infamy and woe.

Transposed, you’ll see I’m base and mean,

Again of Jewish race;

Transposed once more, I oft am seen

To hide a lovely face.

102.

103.

My first is the name to an article given

For ladies and dandies to put on their linen;

It comes from the forest, I’ve heard people say,

And is made from the skin of an animal gay.

My second is a fruit that comes from the South,

The juice of it is sour, and ’twill pucker your mouth;

’Tis found in candy shops all over the town,

And, stranger to say, it is almost round.

My whole is an article that is often seen

In the gardens and fields almost covered with green;

It is very sweet, and also pleasant to eat,

And in hot summer days affords a rich treat.

104. My first is half of what implies good-humor; my second makes sense of my first; my third sounds like the cry of a kitten; my fourth is a consonant and vowel combined; my fifth, with the addition of the initial of my third, would imply silence; and my whole is what many boys and girls prize highly.

105.

I am composed of twelve letters.

My 2, 8, 9, is a substance dug out of the earth.

“ 6, 11, 12, 8, is a numeral.

“ 4, 2, 3, is an ancient instrument of war.

“ 12, 8, 1, is a vessel used in former times.

“ 5, is a vowel.

“ 4, 7, 1, 9, is a hard substance.

“ 10, 9, is a pronoun.

My whole is now before you.

106. My first is appropriate, my second ’tis nine to one if you guess it. My whole elevates the sole above the earth.

107. Why is a conundrum like a monkey?

108. What do we all do when we first get into bed?

109.

110.

111. There is one word in the English language which is universally considered a preventive of harm; change a certain letter in it, and you make it an act of cruelty.

112.

My first may be fashioned of iron or wood,

And at window or door for safety is placed;

In village or town it does more harm than good,

Leading people their health, time, and money to waste.

My second’s a lady, bewitching and fair,

And for love of her people will labor and strive;

Will rise before dawn, and be wearied with care,

And pursue her with ardor as long as they live.

My whole is what ladies admire and approve,

The shopkeeper’s boast—the purchaser’s prize;

’Tis a ninepenny chintz—’tis a one-shilling glove—

It is something which makes people open their eyes.

113. At what distance must a body have fallen to acquire the velocity of 1,600 feet per second?

114. Of what trade is the sun in May?

115. Why is a small horse like a young musk-melon?

116.

My first must grace a legal deed,

With its companion, firm and red;

Its help in marriage, too, they need,

Before the blessing can be said.

My second half a hundred is,

If in the shortest way you spell;

You soon must guess me after this,

I may as well the secret tell.

My whole, by his celestial strains

Bears the rapt soul to worlds above;

The Great Creator’s power proclaims,

And tells of the Redeemer’s love.

117.

118.

119. My first is a boy’s nickname; my second is meant for defense; my third is a preposition; my fourth is one of the articles; my fifth is one of the United States. My whole is a large city in Europe.

120.

My first is stationed near your heart,

And serves to brace the mortal frame;

Of young and old it forms a part,

And to fair woman gives a name.

Who builds a ship must it employ,

To give it strength to stem the flood,

And Adam felt no real joy

Till in new form by him it stood.

My second may be long or short,

Or tight or loose, or wet or dry,

Of cotton, silk, or woolen wrought,

Of any texture, strength, or dye—

Be made of iron, gold, or steel,

Of love or hate, of good or ill,

May gently bind, or heavy feel,

May give support, or rudely kill.

My whole is formed by fashion, skill, and care,

And what few ladies from their dress can spare.

121. How long would a ball be falling, from the top of a tower that was 400 feet high, to the earth?

122. Why are chairs like men?

123. The foot of a ladder 60 feet long remaining in the same place, the top will just reach a window 40 feet high on one side of the street, and another 30 feet high on the other side. How wide is the street?

124. There is a pile of cannon-balls, the ground tier of which contains 289 balls, and the top tier one ball. Require the whole number of balls in a pile.

125.

126.

127.

What skillful housewife does not know

When, where to place my first?

When nicely done, it will not show;

Conspicuous, it is worst.

My second all the world must do,

Either with head or hand,

In different ways the same pursue,

On water, or on land.

My whole a picture is of life,

Varied with good or ill,

With bright or dull, with light or dark,

Arranged with art and skill.

128. What is that which will make you catch cold—cure the cold—and pay the doctor’s bill?

129. Why is a joke like a cocoa-nut?

130. When did Esau, the hairy man, lose his whiskers?

131. Why do postmasters deserve the execration of all true Americans?

132.

Just equal are my head and tail,

My middle slender as can be,

Whether I stand on head or heel,

’Tis all the same to you or me.

But if my head should be cut off,

The matter’s true, although ’tis strange,

My head and body, severed thus,

Immediately to nothing change.

133. If a loafer, smoking a cigar, sets fire to the brush on his upper lip, is it a case of spontaneous combustion?

134.

liv sin transgre procur damn

A ing er s ssion ed ation.

dy Redeem pa purchas salv

135.

136.

137.

What sailors dread.

138.

I.

Go wide o’er the world,

And everywhere seek me—

In earth, sea, or air,

Thou never shalt meet me!

Go wide o’er the world—

I always am there—

Wherever thou roamest,

In earth, sea, or air!

II.

Go speak to the woodland,

And question of me—

Oh ne’er shall thou find me,

With forest or tree!

Go, speak to the woodland,

I ever am there,

And live in its whispers,

Though lighter than air!

III.

Go, winnow the wave,

And seek for my breath—

Ah, ocean and river,

Reveal but my death!

Go, winnow the wave,

Tho’ with winter it shiver—

There—there shalt thou find me,

’Mid ocean and river!

IV.

In whirlwinds I revel,

Yet in zephyrs expire—

I flourish in warmth,

And I perish in fire!

The winter I cherish,

Yet each season I shun;

Half living in harvest,

In summer, undone!

V.

I come with the warlock—

I go with the ghoul—

I shriek with the wizard—

I hoot with the owl!

I ride on the hazel

Which witches have rent—

I fly on the wing

Which the eagle hath bent.

VI.

I come and I go—

Oft unseen and unsought;

I live but in words—

I perish in thought.

So to all and to each,

I bid you adieu;

Yet to all and to each,

I stay double with you!

139. Why is the boy that disturbs a hive like a true Christian?

140. What is that which has eyes and sees not, ears and hears not, nose and smells not, yet is often regarded as the beau-ideal of a human being?

141. Why is the elephant his own servant?

142. Which of the forest trees bears gain?

143. Who was the heaviest of mechanics?

144.

I’m a heavy drag—few things more slow.

Cut off my head, and give me a bow,

And swiftly through the air I go.

145. Why are two heads better than one?

146. Why is a cart-horse always in the wrong place?

147.

I follow the plough, and yet I never walk,

Have plenty of teeth, yet neither eat nor talk,

Am strongly barred, and yet I never close,

I scratch and break, but never deal in blows.

148. What is that which has many leaves, but no stem?

149. Why is the letter F like an incendiary?

150. Arithmetical Puzzle.—This consists of six slips of paper or card, on which are written numbers as expressed in the following columns—

The slips being thus prepared, a person is to think of any one of the numbers which they contain, and to give to the expounder of the question those slips in which the number thought of occurs. To discover this number, the expounder has nothing to do but to add together the numbers at the top of the columns put into his hand. Their sum will express the number thought of.

Example.—Thus, suppose we think of the number 14. We find that this number is in three of the slips, viz., those marked B, C, and D, which are therefore given to the expounder, who, on adding together 2, 4, and 8, obtains 14, the number thought of.

The trick may be varied in the following manner: Instead of giving to the expounder the slips containing the number thought of, these may be kept back, and those in which the number does not occur be given. In this case, the expounder must add together, as before, the numbers at the top of the columns, and subtract their sum from 63. The remainder will be the number thought of.

The slips containing the columns of numbers are usually marked with letters on the back, and not above the columns, as we have expressed them. This renders the deception more complete, as the expounder, knowing beforehand the number at the top of each column, has only to examine the letters at the back of the slips given him, when he performs the problem without looking at the numbers, and thus renders the trick more extraordinary.

151.

A pair of little quadrupeds,

Transpose them, and you’ll find

The lords of ocean, or the aids

For disciplining mind;

Or that which cheers the midnight hour,

Or gilds the flagstaff high;

Now test your transposition power,

And for the answer try.

152. When is a chair like a rich lady’s dress?

153. One p, one i, four a’s, two r’s, two s’s, two l’s—what do they make, and who has made a fortune by them?

154. What odd number will give, on being divided, a half clear of a fraction?

155.

I’m in the book, but not on any leaf;

I’m in the mouth, but not in lip or teeth;

I’m in the atmosphere, but never in the air;

I wait on every one, but never on a pair;

I am with you wherever you may go;

And every thing you do I’m sure to know;

Though when you did it I should not be there,

Yet when ’twas done, you’d find me in the chair.

156. What is the difference between Joan of Arc and Noah’s ark?

157.

I am composed of seventeen letters.

My 4, 6, 10, is what we all do.

“ 5, 8, 14, 11, is a great part of the body.

“ 1, 13, 9, 15, is the name of a fish.

“ 7, 16, 2, 10, is a part of speech.

“ 13, 8, 3, is the name of a fowl.

“ 6, 15, 14, is a girl’s name.

“ 17, 6, 10, 15, is very useful to vessels.

“ 13, 6, 12, is a personal pronoun.

My whole is what we may all expect if we live.

158. My first is an instrument, which, though small, has more power than any monarch on earth. It is the lover’s friend and the poet’s pride; yet has overthrown kingdoms, ruined reputations, set folks together by the ears, and caused more destruction than plagues, pestilence, or famine. My second, though not quite so mischievous, is very destructive when in improper hands, and my whole, though employed against my first, is deemed its friend and improver.

LEAP FROG.

159. This is a most excellent pastime. It should be played in a spacious place, out of doors, if possible, and the more there are engaged in it, provided they be of the same height and agility, the better is the sport. We will suppose a dozen at play:—Let eleven of them stand in a row, about six yards apart, with all their faces in one direction, arms folded, or their hands resting on their thighs, their elbows in, and their heads bent forward, so that the chin of each rests on his breast, the right foot advanced, the back a little bent, the shoulders rounded, and the body firm. The last begins the sport by taking a short run, placing his hands on the shoulders of the nearest player, and leaping with their assistance—of course, springing with his feet at the same time—over his head, as represented in the cut. Having cleared the first, he goes on to the second, third, fourth, fifth, etc., in succession, and as speedily as possible. When he has gone over the last, he goes to the proper distance, and places himself in position for all the players to leap over him in their turn. The first over whom he passed, follows him over the second, third, fourth, etc.; and when he has gone over, the one who begun the game places himself in like manner for the others to jump over him. The third follows the second, and so on until the parties are tired.

160.

His heart was sad, and his foot was sore,

When a stranger knocked at the cottager’s door;

With travel faint, as the night fell down,

He had missed his way to the nearest town,

And he prayed for water to quench his thirst,

And he showed his purse as he asked for my first.

The cotter was moved by the stranger’s tale,

He spread the board, and he poured the ale:

“The river,” he said, “flows darkly down

Betwixt your path and the lighted town,

And far from hence its stream is crossed

By the bridge on the road that you have lost;

Gold may not buy, till your weary feet

Have traversed the river and reached the street,

The thing you ask; but the wandering moon

Will be out in the sky with her lantern soon;

Then cross o’er the meadow, and look to the right,

And you’ll find my second by her light.”

My second shone like a silver floor,

When the traveler passed from the cotter’s door;

He saw the town on its distant ridge,

Yet he sighed no more for the far-off bridge;

And his wish of the night soon gained its goal,

For he found my first when he reached my whole.

161. What two letters of the alphabet make a prophet?

163. Plant an orchard of twenty-one trees, so that there shall be nine straight rows, with five trees in each row, the outline a regular geometrical figure, and the trees all at unequal distances from each other.

165. What part of the horse resembles you?

166. Why is a horse like the prophet Elijah?

167. Why is a new married man like a horse?

168. Why is it profitable to keep fowl?

169. My first is a collection of water; my second is used when speaking of myself; my third is a fruit; my whole is a town in Hindostan.

170. “Thomas,” said Charles, “you are good at figures, please give me a figurative answer to this question:—What ought one to do who arrives at a friend’s house too late for dinner?”

Thomas, after thinking a little, wrote the following—1028,40. What was his meaning?

171. A teacher, having fifteen young ladies under her care, wished them to take a walk each day of the week. They were to walk in five divisions of three ladies each but no two ladies were to be allowed to walk together twice during the week. How could they be arranged to suit the above conditions?

172.

My first is a letter, an insect, a word,

That means to exist; it moves like a bird.

My next is a letter, a small part of man,

’Tis found in all climes; search where you can.

My third is a something seen in all brawls.

My next you will find in elegant halls.

My last is the first of the last part of day,

Is ever in earnest, yet never in play.

My whole gives a light, by some men abhorred,

The blessings from which no pen can record.

173. What number is that, which, added separately to 100 and 164, shall make them perfect squares?

174. Why is the letter F like death?

175. Why are mortgages like burglars?

176.

I’m composed of letters four,

A turkey, cock, or hen;

Behead me, and I upward soar.

Put on my head again,

Transpose me, then a beast I am,

Both bloodthirsty and wild,

That preys on many a helpless lamb,

And oft devours a child.

177. I am a word of three letters, signifying to spoil or injure. Transposed, I am an animal. Transposed again, I am a part of the human frame.

178. Why is a grist-mill like the court-martial which cashiered Fremont?

179.

I have wings, yet never fly—

I have sails, yet never go—

I can’t keep still, if I try,

Yet forever stand just so.

180. Why is a grist-mill like an orange-tree?

181. What Scripture character was a stupid sheep?

182. What animal that always has a cold chin is used to keep the ladies’ chins warm?

183. What two reasons why a young lady going to the altar is certainly going wrong?

184. Why is it dangerous for a teetotaler to have more than two reasons for the faith that is in him?

185. What is the most cheerful part of an arsenal?

186. When does the tongue assume the functions of the teeth?

187. My first is company, my second is without company, and my third calls company.

188.

An emblem of stupidity,

My first in forests found;

Up in air oft rises high,

Though fastened to the ground,

But by sharp means it is removed,

And managed various ways;

By art or skill may be improved,

Or, perhaps, it makes a blaze.

My second is of every kind,

Is good, or bad, or gay;

Is dull or bright, to suit all minds,

By night as well as day.

The patient seaman keeps with care my whole,

And well it knows his secrets night and day;

And though it has no tongue, nor heart, nor soul,

It tells the story of the ship’s long way.

189. There is a word of six letters. Take off three letters at either end, and add another letter, and it will make one of the most useful members of the body.

190.

Tell me why is it, if you lend

But forty dollars to a friend,

It does your kindness more commend

Than if five hundred you should send?

191. What is that which is less tired the longer it runs?

192. Why is a tailor finishing your pants like a polite host serving his guests with water-fowl?

193. What was a month old at Cain’s birth, that is not five weeks old now?

194. What looks worse on a lady’s foot than a darned stocking?

195. Which of the girls can answer questions best?

196. What is the shape of a kiss?

197.

My first is a busy industrious thing,

Without which no bundle your porter can bring;

My second is nothing to speak of, yet stands

For thousands and millions, in money or lands;

My third is a question we meet every day,

Relating to things we do, think, or say;

My whole is the questioner—once it was you,

If not, ’twas your brother, or cousin, or—whew!

It was somebody else whom your grandmother knew.

198. I am composed of four letters. We do not 4 2 3, 1 4 2 3, 2 3, 3 4 2.

199.

My first is a preposition.

“ second implies more than one.

“ third is a pronoun.

“ fourth some people do not pay.

“ whole is not consistent.

200.

I am a word of four letters often used in prayer.

Transposed, I become what every one professes.

Transposed again, I become an adjective, the qualities of which every one despises.

Transposed again, I am part of a horse.

201.

My first is poison, slow yet sure,

That preys on many frames;

Compounded oft of things impure,

And called by many names.

My first and second form my whole,

That’s one of Satan’s dens;

Many a man has lost his soul,

Through meeting there with friends.

202.

I am a word of four letters—the name of a Cape.

Transposed, I am a portion of the earth’s surface.

Transposed again, I am a kind of meat.

Transposed again, I become a verb signifying to wash.

203.

I prove 2 = 1, thus:—

x = a; then x² = ax

x² - a² = ax - a²

(x + a)(x - a) = a(x - a)

x + a = a

2a = a

2 = 1

Who will detect the fallacy?

204. In what ship, and in what capacity, do young ladies like to engage?

205.

Ethereal thing, on unseen wing,

Through space my first is wandering;

It nothing sees, it nothing knows,

Yet all that’s known and seen it shows.

Brick, iron, mud, stone, reed, or wood,

My second in all climes has stood—

A lodge, a nest, where love may rest,

Or a prison, gloomy, dark, unblest.

Away on the bleak and desolate peak

Where the rude tempests howl and shriek,

Like a friendly eye, looking out from the sky.

My whole to the wanderer gleams on high.

206. What kind of a ship did Solomon object to?

207. There are two numbers whose product added to the sum of their squares is 109, and the difference of whose squares is 24.

208.

In every hedge my second is,

As well as every tree,

And when poor school-boys act amiss,

It often is their fee.

My first likewise is always wicked,

Yet ne’er committed sin,

My total for my first is fitted,

Composed of brass or tin.

209. My first is a pronoun; my second is not high; my third we must all do; my fourth is a pronoun of multitude; my whole is musical.

210. What is the difference between a grandmother and her infant grandchild?

211. Add one to nine and make it twenty.

212. What is that which the dead and living do at the same time?

213.

When winter months have passed away,

And summer suns shine bright,

You ope the coffer where I lay,

And bring my first to light.

My second is a valiant knight,

Who wears his crest and spur,

And when he’s challenged to a fight,

He does not long demur.

My whole, as ancient fables say,

Was once a friend of Juno,

In dress he makes a great display—

His name by this time you know.

214. Why is a bullet like a tender glance?

215.

When innocence first had its dwelling on earth,

In my first’s lovely form it alighted;

And still to this time, from the hour of its birth,

In my first it has greatly delighted.

My second’s a part of a smart lady’s dress,

Yet on age it may also be found;

Again, ’tis a garb when the heart feels distress—

And my whole does with pleasure abound.

216. Why are children at play like a bird in her nest?

217.

My first is male or female, young or old,

’Tis very sad if you are forced to doubt one;

Much must we pity the false heart or cold,

Who is so selfish as to live without one.

My second is a noble work of art,

Which brings together distant shores and lands;

Though neither feet it has, nor head, nor heart,

’Tis often furnished with a hundred hands.

My whole in youth or age, sickness or health,

In joy or sorrow, charms to life can give;

Without it, all in vain are hoards of wealth,

By it unblest in solitude we live.

218. What spice are the Hindoos fond of?

219. Why is a dog like a tanner?

220. Why are A B’s successors seedy?

221. What is nothing good for?

222. I am composed of four letters—the initials of four of the principal personages in Europe—the name of a river in Russia; transposed, I am a part of the Crystal Palace; transposed again, I am not proud, although elevated above the heads of most people.

223.

My first is when the summer wind

Sweeps rustlingly through the trees,

When the jasmine spray and the eglantine

Are swayed by the whispering breeze;

My second, a weapon of bloody strife,

Of steel, so cruel and cold,

Which ruthlessly takes the soldier’s life,

The cowardly, and the bold;

My whole is a Poet, by every one known,

So wide is his renown.

224. Why is the letter y like a young spendthrift?

225. Why is memory like the peacock?

226.

My first in the garden luxuriantly grows,

Delicious and sweet, as every one knows;

My second a noisy, vain, garrulous thing,

The lord of a harem, as proud as a king;

My whole is still prouder, and seems to rejoice

As much in his tail as he does in his voice.

227. One man said to another, “Give me one of your sheep, and I shall have twice as many as you.” The other replied, “No, give me one of yours, and I shall have as many as you.” How many had each?

228. Where were potatoes first found?

229. Where did cherries come from?

230. Why is a ship under full sail like Niagara?

231.

O’er a mighty pasture go

Sheep in thousands, silver white;

As to-day we see them, so

In the oldest grandsire’s sight.

They drink—never waning old—

Life from an unfailing brook;

There’s a shepherd to their fold,

With a silver-horned crook.

From a gate of gold let out,

Night by night he counts them over;

Wide the field they rove about,

Never hath he lost a rover:

True the dog that helps to lead them,

One gay ram in front we see;

What the flock, and who doth lead them,

Sheep and shepherd, tell to me?

232. I am a word of four letters. Take off my hat, and you have something which you do every day. Take off my head, and you have a preposition. Leave off my head and put on my hat, and you have something used before a door. Entire, and taken backward, with my two middle letters transposed, I am a very convenient thing. I, myself, am often eaten.

233. What part of a ship was Cain?

234. What animal resembles the sea, and why?

235. What animal is the most windy, and why?

236. What animal is like an apothecary?

237. What animal is like a stone-breaker?

238. A man had a bar of lead that weighed 40 lbs., and he divided it into four pieces in such a way as to allow him to weigh any number of pounds from one to forty. How did he manage the matter?

239. What is the best key to a good dinner?

240. Why is a farm-yard like a hotel?

241. If a woman stands behind a tree, how does the tree stand?

242. Wherein does a turkey-cock differ from a lady?

243. Three men buy a grindstone, 40 inches in diameter, on equal shares. Each one is to use it until he has worn away his share. How many inches in diameter must each one use?

244. What two letters of the alphabet do children like best?

245. Why are Cashmere shawls like deaf persons?

246.

Ye mortals—wonder! I’m an elf,

A strange, mysterious thing;

More powerful than all the sprites

Within a magic ring.

I speak—although I have no tongue—

I speak, and thrill the soul;

I sing—and many a song I’ve sung

Resounds, while ages roll.

I am a weapon, strong and keen,

All made of glittering steel;

But human souls—not senseless flesh—

My sharp two-edges feel.

The greatest writer e’er was born—

But, ah!—a thievish elf;

For what I write is not, alas!

Original with myself.

I often take a cooling bath;

But, like the Ethiop’s skin,

When I have bathed, I’m blacker still

Than when I did begin!

Most kind am I; I glad the heart

Of many a wretched wight,

And many a sufferer is by me

Transported with delight.

Most cruel I; I’ve pierced the soul

With cutting, burning darts;

I’ve dashed the fondest hopes to earth,

I’ve crushed the lightest hearts.

Yet wise and powerful as I am,

A very slave am I;

I’m forced the mandates to obey

Of both the low and high.

Now, witty brains, tell who this is,

Who blesses and who curses;

Who has no hands, yet still who is

The writer of these verses.

247. Why is an Indian like a flirt?

248. Why is an Indian like a scholar?

249. How much silk is required to make a spherical balloon, 16 inches in diameter, without allowing for seams?

250. All children love to go to sea, and why?

251.

That gentle picture dost thou know,

Itself, its hues, and splendor gaining?

Some change each moment can bestow,

Itself as perfect still remaining;

It lies within the smallest space,

The smallest framework forms its girth,

And yet that picture can embrace

The mightiest objects known on earth:

Canst thou to me that crystal name

(No gem can with its worth compare)

Which gives all light, and knows no flame?

Absorbed is all creation there!

That ring can in itself inclose

The loveliest hues that light the heaven,

Yet from its light more lovely goes

Than all which to it can be given!

252.

From 6 take nine, from 9 take 10;

From 40 take 50, and 6 remain.

253. Why is marriage like truth?

254. Required to divide 45 in four parts, so that the first part with two added, the second with two subtracted, the third divided by two, the fourth multiplied by two, shall equal each other.

255. Where was Major Andre going when he was captured?

256.

There is a mansion, vast and fair,

That doth on unseen pillars rest;

No wanderer leaves the portals there,

Yet each how brief a guest!

The craft by which that mansion rose,

No thought can picture to the soul;

’Tis lighted by a lamp which throws

Its stately shimmer through the whole.

As crystal clear, it rears aloof

The single gem which forms its roof,

And never hath the eye surveyed

The master who that mansion made.

257. Why is a sculptor like a man who “splits his sides with laughter?”

258. Why were the Scribes and Pharisees like a great conflagration?

259. My first is a collection of water, my second is used when speaking of myself, my third is a fruit, my whole is a town in Hindostan.

260.

X U R, X U B,