47.—­ROVER’S AGE.

Rover’s present age is ten years and Mildred’s thirty years.  Five years ago their respective ages were five and twenty-five.  Remember that we said “four times older than the dog,” which is the same as “five times as old.” (See answer to No. 44.)

48.—­CONCERNING TOMMY’S AGE.

Tommy Smart’s age must have been nine years and three-fifths.  Ann’s age was sixteen and four-fifths, the mother’s thirty-eight and two-fifths, and the father’s fifty and two-fifths.

49.—­NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOURS.

Mr. Jupp 39, Mrs. Jupp 34, Julia 14, and Joe 13; Mr. Simkin 42; Mrs.
Simkin 40; Sophy 10; and Sammy 8.

50.—­THE BAG OF NUTS.

It will be found that when Herbert takes twelve, Robert and Christopher will take nine and fourteen respectively, and that they will have together taken thirty-five nuts.  As 35 is contained in 770 twenty-two times, we have merely to multiply 12, 9, and 14 by 22 to discover that Herbert’s share was 264, Robert’s 198, and Christopher’s 308.  Then, as the total of their ages is 171/2 years or half the sum of 12, 9, and 14, their respective ages must be 6, 41/2, and 7 years.

51.—­HOW OLD WAS MARY?

The age of Mary to that of Ann must be as 5 to 3.  And as the sum of their ages was 44, Mary was 271/2 and Ann 161/2.  One is exactly 11 years older than the other.  I will now insert in brackets in the original statement the various ages specified:  “Mary is (271/2) twice as old as Ann was (133/4) when Mary was half as old (243/4) as Ann will be (491/2) when Ann is three times as old (491/2) as Mary was (161/2) when Mary was (161/2) three times as old as Ann (51/2).”  Now, check this backwards.  When Mary was three times as old as Ann, Mary was 161/2 and Ann 51/2 (11 years younger).  Then we get 491/2 for the age Ann will be when she is three times as old as Mary was then.  When Mary was half this she was 243/4.  And at that time Ann must have been 133/4 (11 years younger).  Therefore Mary is now twice as old—­271/2, and Ann 11 years younger—­161/2.

52.—­QUEER RELATIONSHIPS.

If a man marries a woman, who dies, and he then marries his deceased wife’s sister and himself dies, it may be correctly said that he had (previously) married the sister of his widow.

The youth was not the nephew of Jane Brown, because he happened to be her son.  Her surname was the same as that of her brother, because she had married a man of the same name as herself.

53.—­HEARD ON THE TUBE RAILWAY.

The gentleman was the second lady’s uncle.

54.—­A FAMILY PARTY.

The party consisted of two little girls and a boy, their father and mother, and their father’s father and mother.

55.—­A MIXED PEDIGREE.

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