When the Smileys recently received a visit from the favourite uncle, the fond parents had all the five children brought into his presence.  First came Billie and little Gertrude, and the uncle was informed that the boy was exactly twice as old as the girl.  Then Henrietta arrived, and it was pointed out that the combined ages of herself and Gertrude equalled twice the age of Billie.  Then Charlie came running in, and somebody remarked that now the combined ages of the two boys were exactly twice the combined ages of the two girls.  The uncle was expressing his astonishment at these coincidences when Janet came in.  “Ah! uncle,” she exclaimed, “you have actually arrived on my twenty-first birthday!” To this Mr. Smiley added the final staggerer:  “Yes, and now the combined ages of the three girls are exactly equal to twice the combined ages of the two boys.”  Can you give the age of each child?

43.—­Mrs. Timpkins’s age.

Edwin:  “Do you know, when the Timpkinses married eighteen years ago Timpkins was three times as old as his wife, and to-day he is just twice as old as she?”

Angelina:  “Then how old was Mrs. Timpkins on the wedding day?”

Can you answer Angelina’s question?

44—­A census puzzle.

Mr. and Mrs. Jorkins have fifteen children, all born at intervals of one year and a half.  Miss Ada Jorkins, the eldest, had an objection to state her age to the census man, but she admitted that she was just seven times older than little Johnnie, the youngest of all.  What was Ada’s age?  Do not too hastily assume that you have solved this little poser.  You may find that you have made a bad blunder!

45.—­Mother and daughter.

“Mother, I wish you would give me a bicycle,” said a girl of twelve the other day.

“I do not think you are old enough yet, my dear,” was the reply.  “When I am only three times as old as you are you shall have one.”

Now, the mother’s age is forty-five years.  When may the young lady expect to receive her present?

46.—­Mary and Marmaduke.

Marmaduke:  “Do you know, dear, that in seven years’ time our combined ages will be sixty-three years?”

Mary:  “Is that really so?  And yet it is a fact that when you were my present age you were twice as old as I was then.  I worked it out last night.”

Now, what are the ages of Mary and Marmaduke?

47—­Rover’s age.

“Now, then, Tommy, how old is Rover?” Mildred’s young man asked her brother.

“Well, five years ago,” was the youngster’s reply, “sister was four times older than the dog, but now she is only three times as old.”

Can you tell Rover’s age?

48.—­Concerning Tommy’s age.