eversing such a sum as L14,
15s. 3d. it may be written L3, 16s. 2d., which is the same as L3, 15s.
14d.
34.--THE GROCER AND DRAPER.
A country "grocer and draper" had two rival assistants, who prided
themselves on their rapidity in serving customers. The young man on the
grocery side could weigh up two one-pound parcels of sugar per minute,
while the drapery assistant could cut three one-yard lengths of cloth in
the same time. Their employer, one slack day, set them a race, giving
the grocer a barrel of sugar and telling him to weigh up forty-eight
one-pound parcels of sugar While the draper divided a roll of
forty-eight yards of cloth into yard pieces. The two men were
interrupted together by customers for nine minutes, but the draper was
disturbed seventeen times as long as the grocer. What was the result of
the race?
35.--JUDKINS'S CATTLE.
Hiram B. Judkins, a cattle-dealer of Texas, had five droves of animals,
consisting of oxen, pigs, and sheep, with the same number of animals in
each drove. One morning he sold all that he had to eight dealers. Each
dealer bought the same number of animals, paying seventeen dollars for
each ox, four dollars for each pig, and two dollars for each sheep; and
Hiram received in all three hundred and one dollars. What is the
greatest number of animals he could have had? And how many would there
be of each kind?
36.--BUYING APPLES.
As the purchase of apples in small quantities has always presented
considerable difficulties, I think it well to offer a few remarks on
this subject. We all know the story of the smart boy who, on being told
by the old woman that she was selling her apples at four for threepence,
said: "Let me see! Four for threepence; that's three for twopence, two
for a penny, one for nothing--I'll take _one_!"
There are similar cases of perplexity. For example, a boy once picked up
a penny apple from a stall, but when he learnt that the woman's pears
were the same price he exchanged it, and was about to walk off. "Stop!"
said the woman. "You haven't paid me for the pear!" "No," said the boy,
"of course not. I gave you the apple for it." "But you didn't pay for
the apple!" "Bless the woman! You don't expect me to pay for the apple
and the pear too!" And before the poor creature could get out of the
tangle the boy had disappeared.
Then, again, we have the case of the man who gave a boy sixpence and
promised to repeat the gift as soon as the youngster had ma
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