“We are greatly pained to hear of the loss sustained by your firm, and extend to you our heartiest sympathy. We notice the circular you sent us announcing Mr. S----’s death is lithographed by Messrs.----. We regret that you did not see your way to let us estimate for the printing of the same. The next time there is a bereavement in your house we will be glad to quote you for the lithographic circulars, and are confident that we can give you better work at less cost than anybody else in the business. Trusting that we may soon have an opportunity of quoting you our prices, we remain, with profound sympathy, yours truly,----.” An American journal, describing a new counterfeit bank-note, says the vignette is “cattle and hogs, with a church far in the distance”--a good illustration of the world. 95. On a square piece of paper mark 12 circles as shown in diagram. The puzzle is to divide the figure into four pieces of equal size, each piece to be of the same shape, and to contain three circles, without getting into any of them. [Illustration] THE ORIGIN OF THE “STONE.” Measurement of weight by the “stone” arose from the old custom farmers had of weighing wool with a stone. Every farmer kept a large stone at his farm for this purpose. When a dealer came along he balanced a plank on top of a wall, and put the stone on one end of it and the bags of wool on the other, until the weights were equal. At first the stones were of all sorts and sizes and weights, with the result that dealers who wished to make a living had to be remarkably knowing in their estimates of them. The many inconveniences involved by this inequality resulted in all stones being made of a uniform weight as far as wool was concerned. The weight of a stone of potatoes, meat, glass, cheese, &c., all differ. A little boy was reading in his Scottish history an account of the battle of Bannockburn. He read as follows: “And when the English army saw the new army on the hill behind, their spirits became damped.” The teacher asked him what was meant by “damping their spirits,” and the boy, not comprehending the meaning, simply answered, “Putting water in their whisky.” THUNDER AND LIGHTNING CALCULATION. 96. Between the earth and a thundercloud there are four currents of air, having a temperature of 87, 57, 47, and 37 degrees respectively. The first current is half the depth of the second, the second half the third, and the third half the fourth. If a peal of thunder is heard 2-3251/4256 seconds after the lightning flash, find the depth of the fourth current and the time occupied by the sound in passing through it.